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The tale of a Christmas plant the lovely poinsettia Ready or not there no de nying Ihe arrival or the holiday lemon once he plant begin make its appearance Whether appears on the cover of greeting cud in windows of a local department store orinaseaofrcd pink and white flowers at a roadside nur the is a sure that Christmas is just around Although the pom let a plant is not indigenous to United States A men cans have me lo associate its brilliant red dell pink and snowy white bracts with the Christmas sea This exotic flowering plant used to decorate homes and churches in Mexico the Christmas season was Intro the United Slates in by Dr Joel Robed Pom sell at thai time the am Mexico Upon re turning from his term of in Mexico home to his native South Carolina Poinsett these plants which he called Painted Leaves his own greenhouses and sent cuttings lo botanists throughout country The plant was later named in his Poinsettiai grow wild in Mexico and other areas of Cen tral America where they are shrubs thai can reach 3D eel in height Their brilliant flowers are most profuse In mid December The Spanish name for pom la Noel buena flower of the holy night rives from a Mexican legend which holds thai the plant in a miracle As the legend has it a pool peasant child ashamed at ing nothing to lake a honoring Ihe of the child sadly picked a few weeds along he road give as an offering at the church As he knelt at the altar w th his humble gift the child scar nest prayer and tears of transformed the weeds into the flowering plant that has be come as much a part or mas In ihis as ever green tree Today arc still imported from Mexico though commercial growers in Hawaii and other warm weather stales add to the suppl A careful plant lover however can keep Ihe plant from one season he next and enjoy its brilliant flow year after year The poinsettia will flourish outdoors during the summer months in most parts of the country becoming denier with foliage as weeks of sunshine pass Prior putting the plant outdoors it should be pruned lo avoid lis becoming too leg In order have the bloom at Chnst po require equal amounts daylight and darkness from first week of October to the sec week in November lis the season for decking the halls trimming the tree Tannenbuum O T baum How art thy branches Louis Schneider Then hardly a Christmas tradition that more universally popular lhan trimming the tree Be it live fresh or artificial a brightly decorated tree sets the stage for a spirited holiday celebration popularized until the 1840s when Prince Albert introduced it into royal family I he re by setting a precedent which has since been followed by royalty and common man alike It is said Martin Luther Continued on Page