I still remember my trip to the flower market,a week before last years Christmas. I felt like the place was heaven on earth with colors and fragrance spread all over. There were flowers of all varieties and many that I had never heard of. I was tempted to take almost all of it but there was something in the corner that caught my attention. Something that was unusual but beautiful. Those flowers had a gleaming red complexion and their features resembled an ordinary leaf. I walked up to that shopkeeper in the corner who was selling those amazingly mesmerizing flowers. He could understand my obvious amazement from my expression and so he thought to surprise me a little more by informing me that I was actually admiring the leaves and not the Poinsettia flower. Thats how I came to know about the name and believe me I was tongue tied. I had no clue as to how do I react. Was it amazement or a confusion that was going on in my mind,I really could not understand. The shopkeeper then told me that the leaves of those Poinsettia flowers were red in color and the flowers were actually yellow which anyone would have easily overlooked while admiring the leaves. I was not at all satisfied with the brief information that the shopkeeper provided. I was now very much adamant to get all possible informations on the flower.

Researching was my next step and to my surprise I managed to get through a lot valuable and interesting informations. Some of it could not be overlooked. Let me start from the beginning.

History of the Poinsettia flower...Euphorbia pulcherrim being its biological name,the poinsettia flower is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family. Its nativity belongs to Mexico but originated initially at a place which is presently referred to as Texco. The poinsettia plant was originally called the Cuetlaxochitl which was initially cultivated by the Aztecs of central Mexico much before the arrival of the Europeans.

Value to the Indians... The flower holds a special place in the minds of all Indians due to its bright red color. The flower is a symbol of purity to them and moreover they used the flower bracts to make a reddish dye and the latex to make a medicine for fever.

Poinsettia's in relation to the Americans... The Americans would give all the credit to Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico who had visited Texco and found the flowers growing on the hillsides. Being a botanist himself, Poinsett sent some of these flowers to his home town in Greenville where the flowers grew really well in his greenhouse. The flower then changed hands among many of the other botany friends of Poinsett and ultimately got high popularity in the country which continues till today.

Variety of Poinsettias...With the gradual passage of time poinsettia flowers reached the epitome of popularity and there were these flowers in numerous varieties and colors. To name a few we have the

Paul Mikkelsen poinsettia ,Winter Rose ( the first one with in curved bracts and foliage),Plum Pudding ( the first poinsettia with purple leaves) and many more. Not only does the flower is popular for its beauty and variety but it is the highest sold holiday flower, in America.

Life span effected... The poinsettia gets badly effected by several folier diseases like Botrytis gray mold, powdery mildew, Alternaria blight, Xanthomonas blight, Erwinia blight, Phytophthora blight, and root diseases such as Pythium, Phytophthora and Rhizoctonia root rot. Recent researches show that the Powdery mildew is a new disease among the Poinsettia flowers. The flower was badly effected during the 1950's and early 60's.

The flower and its use by the Americans during the festival of Christmas dates back to an age old story

of two poor children who had nothing to offer on Christmas but still would wait eagerly for the big day.

.On one such Christmas the children went to the altar with some bunch of weeds. To everybody's

astonishment the weeds turned into the red star shaped flowers. A miracle that people still remember.

Thus goes the importance of the poinsettia flowers on the occasion of Christmas.

Well, that was a lot of information on this beautiful flower. As I managed to get some very good ones

for my previous Christmas,I am sure I will manage some good ones for the forthcoming Christmas too.

As you guys go for your Christmas shopping let me go for some Poinsettia shopping. Adiue