Christmas morning found the Sea Lion anchored in the sheltered cove of Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida in the Sea of Cortez. The aquamarine waters of the cove were crystal clear and all around us were red cliffs of volcanic tuff sculpted into fantastic shapes. The hills above were dotted with desert flora bursting with an astounding display of fresh green foliage.
One of the plants found on our morning hike was this dense mass of candelilla (Pedilanthus macrocarpus). The candelilla is a member of the euphorbia or spurge family, a diversified family with more than a thousand species worldwide. Its grayish green stems contain a milky sap that was used long ago by the native people for chapped lips. (If you check the ingredients of a modern tube of Blistex, you'll find candelilla listed among the ingredients!)
Another member of this remarkable family of plants is the poinsettia, introduced to the United States in the nineteenth century. Here in Mexico this brilliant red and green plant is known as La Flor de Noche Buena, the flower of Christmas Eve. Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, our first ambassador to Mexico, was so impressed with this gorgeous plant that he brought back cuttings to all his friends in the states. Soon poinsettias were growing wild, blooming on hillsides throughout southern California. Today more than 90 percent of all poinsettias sold get their start in California, most as cuttings from a huge flower ranch in San Diego County. The ranch was founded by a German immigrant, Albert Ecke, who came to the United States in 1902 by way of Switzerland.
It was this mass of candelilla stems on Isla Partida that reminded us of a distinctly American holiday tradition--the displaying of the plant we call the poinsettia--which has its origins here in Mexico.
