The holiday season is rich with traditions, and many of them involve plants. Evergreen trees, poinsettias, holly, and mistletoe once played important roles in ancient legends and rituals. Over time, these plants have evolved from symbols of protection, fertility, and eternal life into beloved decorations and customs associated with Christmas and other winter celebrations.
Poinsettia | Christmas Trees | Christmas Cactus | Mistletoe | Holly | White and Blue Flowers | Wassailing
Poinsettias
The poinsettia, a beloved holiday plant, is native to Mexico, where it was cultivated by the Aztecs. They valued its vibrant bracts, using them to create a reddish-purple dye, and its milky sap, which was believed to help treat fevers.
After the Spanish conquest and the spread of Christianity, poinsettias became part of Christian traditions. Franciscan priests incorporated them into nativity processions, linking the plant to Christmas celebrations.
Poinsettias were introduced to the United States by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico (1825–1829). He sent plants to his home in South Carolina and shared them with horticultural enthusiasts and botanical gardens. Later, the Ecke family of California played a key role in developing the modern poinsettia varieties we enjoy today.
Early poinsettias were short-lived and featured only red bracts. Today’s cultivars are more compact, durable, and long-lasting, available in a stunning array of colors—red, pink, white, gold, marbled, and variegated.
Interestingly, the colorful parts we often refer to as “flowers” are actually modified leaves called bracts. The true flowers are the small, yellow-green structures at the center of the bracts.
Poinsettias are short-day plants, meaning they require long nights to bloom. To produce flowers for Christmas, they need uninterrupted darkness from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. daily, starting in early October until the bracts develop color—usually by early December. Most varieties need 8–10 weeks of these short days to flower.
Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias are not poisonous, though they are not meant for consumption. It’s still wise to keep them out of reach of children and pets. The main health concern is skin irritation: when stems are broken, they release a milky sap that can cause dermatitis in sensitive individuals.
Learn more about the selection and care of poinsettias in this article: Guide to Selection and Care of Poinsettias.
The Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree tradition is believed to have originated in Germany during the 16th century, although its roots date back even further. Primitive cultures of northern Europe regarded evergreen trees as sacred, believing they possessed godlike powers and symbolized immortality. To protect their homes and ensure the return of life to the snow-covered forests, Germanic peoples brought evergreen boughs indoors during the harsh winter months.
As Christianity spread across Europe, the evergreen tree was gradually transformed into a Christian symbol, becoming an integral part of holiday celebrations.
The tradition crossed the Atlantic with German immigrants and Hessian soldiers, who were hired by the British during the American Revolution. Over time, the Christmas tree became a beloved centerpiece of holiday festivities in the United States.
Today, millions of cut Christmas trees are sold annually in the U.S. More than 15,000 Christmas tree farms across the country cultivate trees on approximately 350,000 acres of land, producing over 350 million trees for families to enjoy during the holiday season. Learn more facts and legends about Christmas trees in this article: Christmas Tree Facts and Legends.
Learn more about the selection and care of Christmas trees in this article: Guide to Selection and Care of Christmas Trees.
Christmas Cactus
This unique member of the cactus family is typically associated with the holiday season because it reliably blooms each year in November and December.
The term “holiday cactus” is more accurate than “Christmas cactus” because plants sold during the holiday season may be a Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera × buckleyi), a Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), or a hybrid of the two. While similar in appearance, they can be distinguished by their stem segments. The Christmas cactus has scalloped edges, whereas the Thanksgiving cactus features two to four pointed teeth along each segment.
Native to the mountainous forests of southeastern Brazil, these unique members of the cactus family are epiphytes. These plants grow in tree crotches, receiving filtered sunlight, and absorb water and nutrients from rain and decaying organic matter.
Holiday cacti have stems composed of flattened segments called phylloclades, which function like leaves and carry out photosynthesis.
Flowering in both species is controlled by day length and temperature. Like poinsettias, holiday cacti are short-day plants, meaning they require long nights to bloom. Exposure to artificial light at night can prevent flowering, and temperatures above 70°F may also inhibit bud development. Ideal conditions for flower formation include night temperatures of 60 to 65°F and slightly warmer days.
Learn more about the selection and care of holiday cacti in this article: All About Holiday Cacti.
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant with small, leathery leaves and clusters of white berries. While it can manufacture its own food through photosynthesis, it relies on a host plant for water and minerals.
In the United States, American mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum) grows on deciduous trees from New Jersey and southern Indiana southward to Florida and Texas. It is even recognized as the state flower of Oklahoma. Most mistletoe sold during the holiday season is harvested from the wild, primarily in Oklahoma and Texas.
Traditions surrounding mistletoe date back to ancient times. In Europe, the closely related species, Viscum album, shares a similar appearance and history. Druids believed mistletoe could bring health and good fortune, while Welsh farmers associated it with fertility, predicting a good crop if mistletoe was abundant. It was also thought to influence human fertility and was prescribed to those struggling to conceive. Historically, mistletoe was used medicinally to treat various ailments, including pleurisy, gout, epilepsy, rabies, and poisoning. Over time, it became entwined with romantic superstition: kissing beneath mistletoe was believed to increase the chances of marriage in the coming year.
Despite its storied past, mistletoe berries are poisonous. For safety, sprigs should be kept out of reach of children and pets. Today, many companies replace real berries with artificial ones to avoid accidental ingestion.
Learn more about the holiday traditions around mistletoe in this article: Mistletoe and Holly During the Holidays
Holly
Holly was considered sacred by the ancient Romans and played an important role in their winter festival, Saturnalia, which honored Saturn, the god of agriculture. During this celebration, Romans exchanged holly wreaths, carried them in processions, and adorned statues of Saturn with its glossy green leaves and bright red berries.
In the early years of Christianity in Rome, many Christians continued to decorate their homes with holly, not as a religious symbol, but as a way to blend in and avoid persecution. Over time, as Christianity became the dominant faith of the Roman Empire, holly gradually transformed into a cherished emblem of Christmas, symbolizing joy and eternal life during the winter season.
Learn more about the holiday traditions around holly in this article: Mistletoe and Holly During the Holidays
White & Blue Flowers
While Hanukkah does not have any historically “official” plants associated with the holiday, floral arrangements featuring white and blue flowers have become a popular modern tradition during the Festival of Lights. White lilies are especially common as they symbolize values often associated with the holiday of Hanukkah, including light, peace, purity, holiness, and new beginnings. Other frequently used white blooms include roses, alstroemeria, and carnations.
Because white and blue are traditional Hanukkah colors, blue flowers such as hydrangeas, delphiniums, and irises are often paired with lilies and other white flowers to create elegant arrangements. Blue orchids are also popular as potted plants or cut flowers. Interestingly, these orchids are not naturally blue. They are created by dying white orchids blue using a special process.
Learn more about caring for white lilies and other cut flowers in this article: How to Care for Cut Flowers.
Wassailing
Wassailing is the tradition of going from house to house caroling, eating, drinking, and socializing with friends and relatives. Wassailing, however, was originally an important part of a horticultural ritual. In England, it focused on apple orchards. The purpose was to salute the trees in the dead of winter to ensure a good crop for the coming year. The date varied across the 12 days of Christmas. If done formally, the wassail procession visited the principal orchards of the area, caroling as it went. In each orchard, major trees were selected, and cider or liquor was sprinkled over their root systems. Incantations were recited. One example of these incantations includes:
Stand fast at root,
Bear well at top,
Every twig bear apple big,
Every bow bear apple now.
Another example is as follows:
Here's to thee old apple tree,
Hats full, sacks full,
Great bushel baskets full,
Hurrah!
To frighten evil spirits away, guns were fired into the air. Before proceeding, the procession usually danced about the honored trees and then snaked its way out of the orchard. The care with which the ceremony had been executed was measured by the crop yield the following year.
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