Displays of tropical flowers have become traditional in the United States during the winter holiday season. Shopping for them on a gray winter’s day can be an attitude changer. Here you’ll see part of the offerings at Mainescape in Blue Hill, but the flowers are in many nurseries and stores.
The tradition probably began with the display of red poinsettias in Christian churches during 19th Century Christmastimes. We can thank their namesake, Joel Roberts Poinsett, a physician, botanist, and the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. Although these plants originated in Africa, Poinsett introduced Mexican specimens into the U.S. and promoted their display during Christmastime.
Part of the promotion was the legend of the poor Mexican girl who couldn’t afford a gift to present the Baby Jesus in the church display. She collected some roadside stalks and placed them near the statue of Jesus on the day before Christmas. The next day, so the legend goes, the stalks had blossomed into beautiful, red-leafed flowers, now known in English as poinsettias.
Today, there reportedly are more than 100 varieties of poinsettias in many colors that are displayed during the winter holiday season. We also see other brightly-colored tropical flowers during “The Holiday Season,” including amaryllis from Africa, cyclamen from the Mediterranean basin, and “Christmas cactus” from Brazil. (Images taken in Blue Hill, Maine, on December 2, 2023.)