The Poinsettia photos in this post were taken at The First Christian Church where I am a member.

The Poinsettia

Euphorbia pulcherrima

yoo-FOR-bee-uh  pul-KAIR-ih-muh

Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch is the correct and accepted scientific name for the Poinsettia. It was named and documented by Carl Ludwig Willdenow and Johann Friedrich Klotzsch in Allgemeine Gartenzeitung in 1834.

Hello everyone! I hope you had a great Christmas and all is well. I wanted to write this post to give you some information about the origin of our favorite Christmas flower, the Poinsettia.

First of all, the Wikipedia says, “The poinsettia is native to Mexico. It is found in the wild in deciduous tropical forests at moderate elevations from southern Sinaloa down the entire Pacific coast of Mexico to Chiapas and Guatemala. It is also found in the interior in the hot, seasonally dry forests of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas.” In its native habitat, the Poinsettia can grow between 2 and 14 feet tall.

The story begins in the 16th century with a little girl who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. The story goes on to say that she was inspired by an angel to pick weeds from the roadside to place in front of the church altar. Crimson flowers sprouted from the weeds and became Poinsettias.

In the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico used them in their Christmas decorations.

The star-shaped leaf pattern symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem and the red color represents the blood of Jesus.

In Mexico and Guatemala is called Flor de Noche Buena, meaning Christmas Flower. It is known as Flor de Pascua, in Spain, meaning Easter Flower. It is known as Crown of the Andes in Chile and Peru.

The common name was given to the plant in honor of the first United States Minister to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, who introduced the plant to the United States in 1825.

The Poinsettia as we know it today mainly started with a German immigrant, Albert Ecke, who moved to Los Angeles from Germany in 1900. He opened a dairy and orchard in the Eagle Rock area and started selling Poinsettias on street stands. His son, Paul Ecke, developed a grafting technique which revolutionized the industry. Paul Ecke, Jr. took over the family business in 1963 and really got it rolling, promoting the Poinsettia as the Christmas flower.

Until the 1980’s, The Ecke Ranch had the monopoly of the Poinsettia industry. In the late 1980’s, a university researcher named John Dole discovered the method the Eckes used to create a much busier plant than their competition. Until then it was only known by the Eckes. He published his discovery, which allowed their competition to expand, especially those using low-cost labor in Latin America.

Paul Ecke III took over the Ecke Ranch in 1992 and started production in Guatemala. Somewhere in there, they stopped production in the U.S. He sold the company in 2012 then it was taken over by Dümmen Orange in 2015. In the article, Dümmen Orange CEO says all the companies they acquired have a rich and successful history.

The Eck Ranch was the worlds largest Poinsettia producer and still had 70% of the U.S. market, and 50% worldwide when Paul Ecke III decided to sell. HERE is a link to an interview with Paul Ecke III with him explaining the news.

It is always sad when a family-owned business is taken over by large corporations that have taken over many family businesses. I guess as their competition increases with rising costs to produce their product, something has to change. Once they start downsizing to avoid losses, it is only a matter of time. It seems to be easier for new businesses to start than for older business to hang on.

Well, I better close and get back to work on the pages to the right. I am just about ready to start on the “D’s”… I have a question for you… I have the plant pages on the right categorized by plant type but I am thinking about changing and listing them by family name at some point. That could complicate things, though, as even family names are and will continue to change. Even deciding what “category” is difficult because what are grown as annuals here are perennials or even houseplants in other zones. Maybe I should just do them in alphabetical order… What do you think?

Well, I’ll go for now. Tomorrow is going to be very cold with an expected high of 19 degrees! HOLY CRAP! So, until next time, stay happy, healthy, positive, and warm. Get dirty if you can. I am thinking about bringing a bucket of dirt in my room just so I can get my hands dirty.

MERRY CHRISTMAS
FROM
THE BELMONT ROOSTER!

I hope this post finds you all well and hopefully enjoying your Christmas. I know when I was a kid, Christmas was always exciting, as it is for most kids. I have a secret to tell that no one ever knew, though. Yeah, we have all shook and felt our gifts to try and figure out what they were. But, Ummm…. As I got older, wiser, and smarter I began secretly opening my packages to see what was inside. Then I would wrap them back up. Of course, that just screwed up everything. How could I pretend to act surprised especially since I knew what was inside was something I wasn’t that crazy about. I mean, what kid wants a shirt or socks for Christmas?

Christmas is, or should be, a time when families and friends gather and have a nice meal, sing carols, etc. For some, it is the time when family members come that we may only see once a year. It should be a great day.

If you are a Christian, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus and giving. Believe me, I deleted my first post because I wrote A LOT about that topic.

For many, however, it is not a happy time. For people who work or live far away that don’t get to spend time with their family, it can be a sad time. Sometimes friends or co-workers invite them over for Christmas, but for many, one day is like any other. Thinking about their family back home when they can not be there with them is very difficult. If you know someone who is away from their family, invite them for Christmas dinner.

Maybe they are older, like my dad, and their husband or wife passed around Christmas time and it brings back sad memories.

Remember those who are in the Philippines now that have been displaced due to the typhoons there a few days ago. They are not at home, many have lost their homes and loved ones. Think about the people in California who lost their homes from the fires.

Just think about all the people who spend so much for Christmas it takes them the next year to pay for it. Or those who can’t afford Christmas for their family. Think about all those in homeless shelters or in the alleys with nowhere to stay (Even though some want it that way), those n the hospital and nursing homes. Christmas should be a time when we invite people in for a meal who can’t afford it, people who have no one to share Christmas with? Yeah, I have done that, and it is an AWESOME feeling.

When I was living in Mississippi a friend used to come over almost every day. During this time of the year he would say, “Why are you so grumpy?” That was funny because I have always been positive minded. Well, he knew it was because I couldn’t get outside and get my hands in the dirt. I am very thankful for all my friends there who always treated me like family and invited me to their family gatherings during the holidays.

Seriously, I do wish you a VERY, VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. I hope your day is filled with joy. I hope you are with family and friends to celebrate this day however you choose.

In the year ahead, stay positive, give thanks for your blessings share your heart, be more understanding of each other, embrace nature… Just take time to be thankful! If you are in a situation you don’t like, do something about it! There is plenty of help. Awaken yourself! The universe is waiting and wants you to know that YOU ARE AWESOME!

Begonia x withlacoochee ‘Brazilian Lady’ on 8-7-17, #365-2.

Hello folks! I hope this post finds you all well. I have been going down my list of plants, one by one, adding new pages, updating published pages, and publishing drafts. I finally made to the B’s and ran across an interesting name.

In 2013, when I had my first Belmont Rooster blog, I had a Begonia that was given to me by the owner of Pleasant Acres Nursery in Leland, Mississippi. She gave me two cuttings from this AWESOME Begonia but didn’t know the name. Thanks to a follower of my blog, the Begonia was finally named.

He suggested it was Begonia ‘Brazilian Lady’ and he was right. Yesterday when I was doing further research so I could publish its page, I did further research and found out something very strange… The correct name is Begonia x withlacoochee ‘Brazilian Lady’. I know what I think of when I see the word coochee, but who would name a plant after… I will stop there. Maybe I should look that word up on  Google images and see if I am even on the right page. Maybe in a private window just in case. GEEZ! I thought so… Well, there are other meanings and it just depends on what you are thinking. The Wikipedia reminded me of various uses for the term in whole or in part. I cannot share that link, though, because this is a family show.

At first, I thought that was a very strange species name and thought surely it was just some made up name. Then, I found it on the EOL (Encyclopedia of Life) website, which is an “official” website. What further verified it as a correct hybrid name was that the information on EOL was submitted by none other than the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh…

Then I thought that was kind of strange because the Royal Botanic Garden is Kew, or at Kew, in London, England. SO, I had to look into that. This is what I found out…

Royal Botanic Garden-Kew in London England. Kew is involved in A LOT of extensive work and there are many divisions and websites including the Plants of the World Online and the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. They work with MANY other organizations including the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh is the second oldest botanic garden in Britain, located in Edinburgh, Scotland and founded in 1670.

Royal Botanic Garden Sidney in Australia

Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Two locations in Melbourne and Cranbourne in Australia

Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid (Spanish for Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid). The garden was founded in 1755 by King Ferdinand VI.

Royal Botanical Garden in Ontario, Canada.

I also found this website from Kew called State of the World’s Plants. Reports from 2016 and 2017 are available. I was stuck on this website for a while… INCREDIBLE! 1,730 new plant discoveries in 2016 with photos and locations It only shows a few on the website and I didn’t download the chapter. 225 plant species now have whole genome sequences and that is just the beginning. 28,187 species are recorded as being of medicinal use. Around 340 million hectares of the earth’s vegetated surface burns every year. There are 6,075 species now documented as being invasive. There is a lot more on this website.

GEEZ! This post was supposed to be about the Begonia x withlacoochee ‘Brazilian Lady’ not the Royal Botanic Garden!

The last two times I started the Belmont Rooster blog it seemed I was finished adding all the pages within a few weeks. Do you realize this time I started in January 2017 and have just barely finished a few pages?

It seems I get fascinated and have to learn more and more. That is truly a research disorder and the only cure is research. There are a few other areas of interest I had and have that I designate time for and it has been good to look at other areas. We live in a whole HUGE magnificent universe and there is truly a lot of exploring to do. I just wish I had found out many, many years ago some of the things I know now.

Dad watches the news and tells me this and that is going on. I sometimes read the headlines but rarely the entire articles on my homepage. I don’t even thinking about the US being attacked by North Korea or any other country because I don’t believe it will ever happen. If someone attacked our home and I went outside and saw my Phlomis on fire, it would not be a good thing… OH, my Phlomis!!! I need to make a post about the Phlomis… Nearly everything is dead or dormant except for my Phlomis because I have been covering it up at night with a big flower pot. Guess what else? Last time I checked, the Leptinella squalida ‘Platt’s Black’ was also still alive. When temps were going to drop last week, I covered it up with shredded leaves. I need to check on it. Maybe with the flashlight tonight. Just kidding, I may wait until tomorrow.

Well, I better stop so I can get this post published. I have this imprint on my mind now of what I just saw on Google images, but it doesn’t require further research. I have work to do.

SO, for now, stay happy, healthy, awesome, positive and GET DIRTY!!!

Abelia x grandiflora/Linnaea x grandiflora on 5-20-17, #331-1.

Hello, folks! Sorry for my absence lately. I have been working to get the plant pages on the right updated and more added. Last week ended and this week began with two surprises. Saturday I was making the page for Abelia x grandiflora and found out the name had changed to Linnaea x grandiflora. What is a Linnaea? A new family name was also proposed, but for now remains the same. Then on Sunday I went to the next plant on the list to update, Aloe ciliaris, and found that name had also changed to Aloiampelos ciliaris. TWO IN A ROW! While the Abelia, Aloe, and Linnaea genera were all named by Carl von Linnaeus in 1753 (or at least he was the first to publish the names), the Aloiampelos genus was created in 2013. Yeah, I know I am somewhat behind but I only checked when I was working on these pages.

Aloe ciliaris wasn’t the only species of Aloe effected. The names of 18 species were changed.

Aloiampelos ciliaris (Syn. Aloe ciliaris) on 7-12-14, #231-13.

Aloe ciliaris is now Aloiampelos ciliaris. Another surprise was that I have been misspelling the species name ciliaris for five years. I have been spelling it cillaris. 18 Aloe species have been affected by name changes, that I know of so far. I found this useful information on Succulents and More. Then when I went to the Wikipedia, I found a link to this article published in PHYTOTAXA about the reclassification of the genus Aloe. Believe me, it is VERY COMPLEX and hard to understand. I learned a lot by reading the article but I am not sure what I read. It is like a whole new language. I was very fortunate to find a link to this article because not just anyone can read their articles. You have to subscribe and the subscription costs A LOT!!! I have never seen a subscription to anything that expensive! OH CRAP! That article was written in 2013!

Since I first started blogging in 2009, the family that Aloe has been in has changed at least 3 times: Aloaceae>Xanthorrhoeaceae>Asphodelaceae. I think now the family is Xanthorrhoeaceae and Asphodelaceae is the subfamily. OH, WAIT A MINUTE! That was in mid-2013! According to the APG IV System (2016), the family is Asphodelaceae, the subfamily is Asphodeloideae and may be placed in the tribe Aloeae. I also read, “in the past, it has been assigned to the family Aloaceae (now included in the Asphodeloidae) or to a broadly circumscribed family Liliaceae (the lily family)”. WHAT?!?! “OR”?!?! GEEZ! I had to correct circumscribed because I misspelled it circumcised.

The 2013 version of The Plant List included 558 accepted species (plus 23 infraspecific names), 560 synonyms, and 105 unresolved names in the Aloe genus. TODAY, the Plants of the World online website lists 576 accepted species in the Aloe genus… including 11 infraspecific names.

I know taxonomists have a tough job know what they are doing. At first, I thought they were crazy and just making a lot of confusion for everyone because they have the authority to do so. Apparently, way back when Carl von Linnaeus and other botanists, horticulturalists, collectors, etc. were naming plants, families, etc., they were just using their eyes and experience. As a result, some genera became quite large and really didn’t belong there. Now, they have phytogenetic analysis that allows for a better understanding of how they should be classified. It does cause a lot of confusion as plants are reclassified into other genera, and even families. Heck, they are creating new genera and renaming family names. Some new genera have only one or two species, but some of the old names have always been that way. They are proposing new ways to classify plants which are, I guess, better ways. For the most part, it does make better sense if you look at the big picture. We have better tools now to classify plants that weren’t available before. Before phytogenetic analysis was used, they did a lot of reclassifying because so many plants had many different scientific names. But even then, a lot of them were still misplaced. SO, even though I feel like having a few drinks of an alcoholic beverage when I read about name changes, I do kind of sort of understand with just water.

SO, as I go down my list of over 400 plants, I am sure I will find more changes. The Plant List is no longer being maintained, so I have switched mainly to using the Llifle (Encyclopedia of Living Forms) website and the new Plants of the World online. The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (also a part of Kew) is probably the most up to date list on the planet. I will still use Tropicos as the main source for information on authors names and where they were published because I can click on the abbreviation and get the full names and titles. The Wikipedia has also been an AWESOME resource for information. Without just a few sources, this blog probably wouldn’t even exist.

So, right here and right now, I publically want to thank all the contributors to The Plant List, Llifle, Missouri Botanical Gardens and Tropicos, Daiv Freeman for his CactusGuide and SucculentGuide, the founder of Wikipedia and making it the only advertising free source of information (we should all donate funds), The Royal Botanic Garden (including Kew Science, Plants of the World Online, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families), all the  taxonomists, botanists, horticulturalists, plant collectors, etc. that work very hard growing, collecting data, photograps, and all that they do to make reliable and useful information available. There are many more organizations whose data and information are used, not to mention the colleges and universities throughout the world. The many organizations that work in the preservation of our natural resources, like with the many rainforests throughout the world. We owe these people a lot and you can also donate funds.

Well, I better end this post and get back to work. I hope you have a great week! Stay happy, healthy, positive, cool or warm (depending on where you are). As always GET DIRTY when you have the chance!