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Montgomery column: Poinsettias dominate the Christmas season
Betty Montgomery
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As Christmas approaches, one plant seems to dominate the season. Poinsettias. Red poinsettias with green leaves have become symbolic of the Christmas season. Poinsettias are as much a part of Christmas as Christmas trees, colorful lights, eggnog and Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas.” More than 34 million plants will make their appearance at just the right time. Florists, grocery stores, even hardware stores are all promoting these beautiful plants at this time of year.
While red is the most popular color, accounting for roughly three-quarters of all sales nationwide, there are many other colors available. Pink, neon pink, salmon, white, cream apricot and, yes, even a Clemson Tiger orange are colors that are grown today. There are also ones with speckled and marbled leaves and ones with sprayed on flocks.
In times past, Christmas décor would have never come into view before All Hallows’ Eve - or rarely before mid-December, for that matter. When a family put up a tree - a real tree - tradition dictated Christmas Eve as the seemly date to do so. (“Santa brought it when you were asleep.”)
Martin Luther (1483-1546) introduced the Tannenbaum (fir) as the Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas tree) in Germany circa 1500 AD, and this tradition found its way to America with Moravian settlers.
Moravians baked a sweet holiday confection still known today as lovefeast buns, and Scandinavians introduced a yuletide treat of sugary bread baked with candied fruit and raisins known as julekaka (pronounced “yule kaga”).
Christmas: Festive plants from around the world
When it comes to festive flora, the Christmas tree often steals the spotlight. But countless other plants have become symbols of the holiday season.
Christmas trees are part of the seasonal fabric
Poinsettia
The poinsettia, with its striking red and green foliage, is one of the most iconic Christmas plants although its popularity is only a relatively recent development. The plant originally hails from Mexico and Central America. It was first cultivated by the Aztecs, who called it
cuetlaxochitl and made dye from its brightly colored leaves and used its sap for medicinal purposes.
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