Today is celebrated by many as Poinsettia Day, because Joel Roberts Poinsett died on December 12 in 1851. He was a physician, botanist, the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, and – here’s the point – the man who introduced this Mexican native plant to the United States. That’s why this tropical plant is sold under his name in the winter as one of our traditional Christmas delights.
There are more than 100 varieties of poinsettias in many colors. Some are on sale now at Mainescape in Blue Hill and other local nurseries. So are amaryllis plants, another tropical plant (originally from Africa) that became a traditional winter and Christmas symbol.:
(Images taken in Blue Hill and Brooklin, Maine, on December 9 and 12, 2022.)