Poinsettia, The Popular Holiday Plant Named After A Slaveholder, May Be Undergoing A Name Change
Poinsettia, the bright red flower that is usually associated with the holiday season, is causing controversy as people learn about the origin of its name.
According to the Associated Press, the plant is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, a slaveholder from the 1800s who was also part of an army that removed Native Americans from their land.
Historian Lindsay Schakenbach Regele, author of Flowers, Guns and Money, wrote about how Poinsett terrorized Native Americans.
“Because Poinsett belonged to learned societies, contributed to botanists’ collections, and purchased art from Europe, he could more readily justify the expulsion of Natives from their homes,” Regele wrote.
Poinsett, who was the first US ambassador to Mexico, found the Poinsettia plant in Mexico in 1828 and brought it to the U.S., according to Swansons Nursery. The plant, which was cultivated in Mexico 500 years ago, became known as Poinsett as it gained popularity in the U.S. and became a fixture during the holidays. The original name of the plant, cuetlaxochitl, translates to “flower that withers.” The plant is also sometimes referred to as the “flor de Nochebuena,” or “flower of Christmas Eve.” In parts of Mexico, the plant is known as “Santa Catarina.”
Elena Jackson Albarrán, Mexican history and global professor at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, said the preferred name of the plant is Cuetaxochitl.
“I’ve seen a trend towards people openly saying: ‘Don’t call this flower either poinsettia or Nochebuena. It’s cuetlaxochitl,’” Albarrán told the Associated Press. “There’s going to be a big cohort of people who are like, ‘Who cares?’”
Poinsett is still remembered with a life-size statue in Greenville, South Carolina. The controversial figure is credited for co-founding the Smithsonian Institution.
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