White Poinsettia

by Karen Adams

Title

White Poinsettia

Artist

Karen Adams

Medium

Photograph - Fine Art Prints - Photography

Description

Poinsettias are a symbol of Christmas. But the tradition of Poinsettias being used at Christmas time started in the 1920s. A San Diego nurseryman named Paul Ecke took a Mexican native plant that was growing wild along the southern California coastline and started experimenting. He developed more than 100 varieties in his Encinitas ranch. The wild plant is a large shrub that blooms in Spring. Ecke figured how to make the plants bloom in November-December and created varieties that remain compact and grow in pots.
The plant is a tropical member of the Euphorbia family and is native to Mexico and Central America. The Aztecs called it "cuetlaxochitl" which means Star flower. The color petals are actually bracts (or modified leaves.) The actual flower is the yellow cluster at the center of the colorful bracts. The plant drops its bracts and leaves soon after those yellow flowers lose their pollen. When choosing a plant to take home, look for one with little or no yellow pollen showing yet.
The plant can be used to make dyes from the color bracts and medicinal purposes. Contrary to popular beliefs, the plant is not poisonous, but can cause nausea if eaten.
But the most important fact is that these beautiful plants make me know that Christmas is here and they spread joy where ever they are seen!

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Thank you so much for looking at my images. I appreciate that very much.

I am very concerned with our environment and have decided to donate any money I make from any sales of this image to the ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND.....because the Earth needs a good lawyer! We all need to speak up and support efforts to protect our environment. We will not get a second chance!


**The watermark stamp will not appear on any purchased items. All images are protected by copyright law and cannot be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of the artist.**

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A big thank you to the administrators of the following group for featuring this on their group home page:

Beautiful Flowers

For The Love of Flowers

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February 14th, 2013

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