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Show Glorious Natural Beauty of Poinsettia Creates Displays Free Standing Christmas " Tree" built of more than a thousand poinsettia plants in bright colors. At the Brooklyn Botanic Garden', Brooklyn, New York. The great celebration of Christmas inspires the most extravagant ex-travagant decorations, among them brilliant and beautiful poinsettia displays. These large exotic flowers, used to decorate homes and churches in Mexico at Christmas, were introduced to the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett, our first Ambassador Am-bassador to Mexico. He brought the plants home to his greenhouses in South Carolina, more than l(X) years ago. Joel Poinsett propagated these vivid plants which he called "Painted Leaves." and sent cuttings to botanists and nurserymen all over the country. coun-try. Although they were later named "Poinsettia" in his honor, his original name more accurately describes them with their (laming red petals surrounding small red. yellow and green flowers. In their wild state in tropical Mexico and Central America, poinsettias are tall rangy shrubs growing thirty feet tall and blooming irregularly. Horticulturists Hor-ticulturists have, over the years. developed shorter bushy plants that bloom profusely pro-fusely in time for the holiday season. Cuttings for thousands of florists all over the world have come from commercial greenhouse growers in the United States, making poinsettias poinset-tias a true international Christmas symbol. Glorious poinsettia displays are part of the holiday season. Elaborate exhibits are presented pre-sented at the Planting Eields Arboretum in Oyster Bay. and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Brooklyn, both in New York. Some two thousand poinsettia poinset-tia blossoms are featured in the hothouse at the Planting Eields Arboretum. Dramatic new red varieties arc set off by additional addi-tional plants in while, pink, pink with white stripes and a dazzling- newcomer "Jingle Bells", which is pink with red flecks. Some are grown as tall treelike plants with a full circle of blooms atop a four loot stem. Others are trained with graceful branches that hang handsomely from baskets. A free standing Christmas "tree." formed by over one thousand poinsettia. plants, in assorted colors, stars at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Many of the varieties in the show have never been seen by the public before. Almost three thousand (lowers in reds, pinks and white brighten the winter scene. The annual display is open to the public through the end of January. Visitors from many places throng to these festive exhibits adding to the natural wonder of their holiday celebration! jj Poinsettia Plants In Many Shapes at the Planting Fields Arboretum. Ar-boretum. Oyster Bay. New York. Highlights in the dramatic display dis-play are tree shaped and hanging poinsettia plants. |