A Christmas flower was brought to Europe from the rainforests of Mexico in 1830. It belongs to the family of euphorbiaceae. Another name is poinsettia. Plant height can reach three meters. Grown at home, it reaches 25-35 centimeters. The leader of Montezuma adored this wonderful plant, and is still considered a favorite among the Indians. Christmas flower, more precisely, its juice, is used for tattooing as paint. He dyes many fabrics.
Legends
The Aztecs have a beautiful legend about the bush. The heart of the Aztec goddess was wounded by unrequited love. Each drop of blood that fell from it gave rise to unusual plants with white flowers, which almost no one noticed. By December, the flowers were filled with bright purple paint, took on a form of extraordinary beauty. “Flower-star” or “Christmas star” - that is how they began to call poinsettia.
The story of how a little girl, on her way to the temple, plucked twigs from a bush that she met on the road and laid them at the feet of the baby Jesus, gave poinsettia another name - “Flower of the Holy Night”, “Star of Bethlehem”.
Christmas symbol
On Christmas Eve, in 1906, a Los Angeles gardener decided to sell poinsettia sprigs as Christmas flowers and gave rise to a decorative plant life. He sold them in Hollywood. The beautiful "Bethlehem Stars" were instantly bought up by the inhabitants of the city. There were new orders for poinsettia twigs. People reacted positively to the flower, and it became a symbol of Christmas.
Currently, many varieties of these plants have been bred. There are poinsettias of yellow, purple, cream and other colors.
Care Features
Now they are buying a Christmas flower not only for Christmas, but simply as a gift. Because of its beauty, people want to keep the flower for more than one season. Experts advise to trim the tops after flowering, leave the strongest buds and transplant the plant. The flower should be removed away from the sun. Since September, it is exposed to the sun for 10 hours a day for 10 weeks. The rest of the time he should spend in the shade. This is one of the few flowers blooming in the winter.
Many say that repeated flowering is not so bright and magnificent, despite following all the rules. For most of its life, this bush in nature lives with bare branches, not being an attractive plant. At home, you can’t grow the same beautiful flower that you bought, for one simple reason - florists in greenhouses use various chemicals, growth stimulants to give the plant a spectacular effect.
For poinsettia, the presence of fresh and cool air is important. She hates frost. It needs regular watering, but it is not worth pouring it either. With any discomfort, the plant immediately discards the leaves.
The flowers of the shrub are small and nondescript. Bracts growing in the shape of a star give all the beauty. After flowering, the poinsettia bracts turn green and fall.
In Russia, the Christmas flower came into fashion about half a century ago, and became popular in the last decade. Until now, it is considered a symbol of Christmas and decorates the interior of many houses on holiday.