Also known as la flor de nochebuena,

也被稱為 la flor de nochebuena （平安夜的花），

The Christmas star,

聖誕紅，

The lobster flower,

龍蝦花，

The flame leaf,

火焰葉。

Euphorbia pulcherrima,

Euphorbia pulcherrima（最美麗的大戟），

and, one of its oldest names,

還有，它最古老的名字之一，

cuetlaxochitl.

cuetlaxochitl。

In the US during the holidays, this plant, usually potted with bright red and green leaves, can be seen everywhere.

在美國的節日裡，這種通常種植在盆栽裡的鮮紅且綠葉的植物隨處可見。

But the history of how it got here is less obvious.

但它是如何進到美國的歷史過程不是很明朗。

And it's all wrapped up in the controversial legacy of this man: Joel Poinsett.

這一切都跟這個充滿爭議的人有關：喬爾·波因塞特。

Poinsettias are native to this region, from Mexico down into Central and South America.

一品紅原產於這個地區，從墨西哥一直到中美洲和南美洲。

The Aztec called it cuetlaxochitl, meaning "flower that withers."

阿茲特克人稱它為 cuetlaxochitl，意思是「會枯萎的花」。

And unlike the potted varieties we see today, in the wild, these plants look like tall shrubs that flower in the winter season.

與我們現在看到的盆栽品種不同，在野外，這些植物看起來像在冬季開花的高大灌木。

It was a prized plant.

它是一種珍貴的植物。

The brilliant red colored leaves (which are leaves and not actually petals) were used to dye textiles, while the sap of the plants was used medicinally.

鮮豔的紅葉（是葉子，不是花瓣）被用來為紡織品染色，而其汁液則被用作藥用。

And by the 17th century, likely because of those red leaves that bloomed in time for the holiday season,

到了 17 世紀，可能是因為那些在節日期間及時綻放的紅葉，

Spanish friars used the flowers to decorate elaborate nativity displays in Mexico.

西班牙修道士用這些花裝飾墨西哥精心製作的耶穌誕生展。

Spanish-speaking Mexicans named it la flor de nochebuena, the flower of Christmas Eve.

講西班牙語的墨西哥人將它命名為 la flor de nochebuena，即平安夜之花。

And for many in the country, it became forever linked to Christmastime. 

對該國的許多人來說，一品紅一直都跟聖誕節聯繫在一起。

For hundreds of years, common knowledge of the plant was largely contained to where it grew natively. 

數百年來，對於這種植物的認識主要局限在它的原產地。

That is, until Joel Poinsett.

本來是這樣，直到喬爾·波因塞特的出現。

In 1825, Poinsett, a diplomat, amateur botanist, and South Carolina native, was appointed as the first ever US minister to Mexico.

1825 年，出生於南卡羅來納州的外交官、業餘植物學家波因塞特被任命為首位美國駐墨西哥部長。

As the story goes, he came across cuetlaxochitl in a town called Taxco, took some cuttings, and shipped them off to the US to distribute to his botanist peers. 

據說，他在一個叫塔斯科的小鎮遇到了 cuetlaxochitl，摘了一些插枝，然後把它們運到美國，分發給他的植物學家同行。

Eventually they caught on in the US, too.

最終一品紅也在美國流行起來。

They were debuted at an 1829 flower show in Philadelphia.

它們於 1829 年在費城的花展上首次亮相。

Nurseries began to grow and distribute the plants in the US.

苗圃開始在美國種植和銷售這些植物。

And its popularity as the "Christmas plant" exploded.

它作為「聖誕植物」非常受到歡迎。

The name "poinsettia" stuck, as a way to celebrate Joel Poinsett's legacy.

「一品紅」這個名字被沿用下來，作為歌頌喬爾·波因塞特的貢獻。

One that would grow to include not just minister to Mexico, but US Secretary of War,

一位在之後任職墨西哥部長，美國戰爭部長，

and founding member of the institution that would later become the Smithsonian.

和後來成為史密森尼學會創始成員的人物。

But his legacy is a tainted one.

但他的事蹟中是有污點的。

Take Poinsett's time as minister to Mexico, where he aggressively attempted to increase American influence in the country.

以波因塞特擔任駐墨西哥部長期間為例，他在該地積極嘗試增加美國在該國的影響力。

One letter to Secretary of State Martin Van Buren — focused on the potential to "enlighten minds with liberal ideas" — revealed his thoughts on the Mexican population,

在給國務卿馬丁·範布倫的一封信中（該信重點是「用自由思想啟蒙想法」的潛力）揭示了他對墨西哥人民的看法，

stating the Spaniards' "...constant intercourse with the aborigines, who were and still are degraded to the very lowest class of human beings...

信中寫到，西班牙人「......與原住民的不斷交流，他們曾經並且仍然被貶低為最低等的人類⋯⋯

contributed to render the Mexicans a more ignorant and debauched people.”

讓墨西哥人成為一個更加無知和放蕩的民族。」

Poinsett, a slave owner himself back in the US, believed racial hierarchy between the indigenous and "white Creole" population could help progress in Mexico.

波因塞特，其本人在美國擁有奴隸，他認為原住民和「克里奧爾白人」人口之間的種族等級制度可以幫助墨西哥進步。

Poinsett also sought to expand American borders.

波因塞特還尋求擴大美國邊界。

At the time, the US looked like this...

當時的美國國土是長這個樣子的……

and he was tasked with negotiating a deal to buy Texas from Mexico.

他的任務是跟墨西哥談判購買德州的交易。

But, before he could negotiate that deal, he ended up meddling so much in Mexican politics, that he was asked to leave the country.

但是，在他能夠談判這筆交易之前，他最終因干涉了墨西哥政治被要求離開該國。

It happened like this:

事情是這樣的：

By helping to establish a network of freemason groups, known as the largest international secret society, he helped to gather men in Mexico with pro-American politics.

通過幫助建立一個被稱為最大的國際秘密社團的共濟會網絡，他幫助在墨西哥聚集了親美政治的人。

Eventually, that organizing laid the groundwork for a public, pro-America political party in Mexico to gain steam, angering many within the Mexican government.

最終，該組織為墨西哥一個公開、親美的政黨獲得動力奠定了基礎，這激怒了許多墨西哥政府內部的人。

His interference with local politics created so much conflict that Mexicans even coined the term "poinsettismo" to describe "officious and intrusive conduct".

他對當地政治的干涉造成極大的衝突，以至於墨西哥人甚至創造了「poinsettismo」一詞來形容「專橫和侵擾行為」。

And in 1829, at the request of the Mexican president, Poinsett was removed from his post.

在 1829 年，應墨西哥總統的要求，波因塞特被免職。

A few years later, after returning to the US, he was appointed US Secretary of War.

幾年後，回到美國後，他被任命為美國戰爭部長。

In that role, he oversaw the forcible displacement of an estimated 20,000 indigenous Cherokee people from their homes, to push them west as a part of the Indian Removal Act.

在擔任該職務期間，他監督了大約 20,000 名切諾基原住民被迫離開家園，作為印第安人遷移法案的一部分將他們趕到西部。

It was part of the ethnic cleansing known as the Trail of Tears that would go on to displace roughly 100,000 indigenous people.

這是被稱為「眼淚之路」的種族清洗的一部分，這場行動持續導致大約 100,000 名原住民流離失所。

That cemented Poinsett's place in history, a man who believed in American expansion, at all costs.

這鞏固了波因塞特在歷史上的地位，他不惜一切代價支持美國的領土擴張。

Back in his home state of South Carolina, Poinsett's name lives on in many ways: a state park, a highway, a hotel, even a statue.

回到他的家鄉南卡羅來納州，波音塞特的名字以多種形式流傳下來：一座州立公園、一條高速公路、一家酒店，甚至一座雕像。

Though, his most well-known namesake is likely, still the plant.

不過，他最著名同名物應該還是那個植物。

Poinsettia production grew even more after years of engineering, creating fuller and more compact plants.

經過多年的改造，一品紅的產量增長得更多，創造出更精緻、小巧的品種。

Today, it's an industry worth around $170 million in the US alone.

如今，光在美國，一品紅已經成為一個價值約 1.7 億美元的產業。

And importantly, it's a market the US has cornered, while shutting Mexico out.

重要的是，這是美國壟斷的市場，同時將墨西哥拒之門外。

Due to decades-old sanitation laws, there are restrictions on Mexican poinsettia growers who want to export potted plants to the US.

由於已有數十年曆史的衛生法，墨西哥一品紅種植者想要將盆栽植物出口到美國受到限制。

It means the vast majority of the plants we see in stores in the US, are grown here.

這表示我們在美國商店看到的絕大多數植物都是在本國種植的。

In recent years, many have found a, different, small way to honor this plant's history.

近年來，許多人找到了不同的小小方法來紀念這種植物的歷史。

By rejecting the name poinsettia, and using its Aztec name, cuetlaxochitl.

就是拒絕使用一品紅這個名稱，而是使用它的阿茲特克名稱 cuetlaxochitl。

A name that, hopefully, reminds people of the true origins of the plant of the season.

希望這個名字能讓人們想起這個植物的真正起源。

Thanks for watching this Christmas edition of Missing Chapter, our series that explores how our past connects with our present.

感謝收看聖誕版的 Missing Chapter，我們的節目探討了過去與現在的連結。

This year, we've covered everything from reparations in New Zealand to Native American sign language.

今年，我們報導了從新西蘭的賠償到美洲原住民手語的所有內容。

You can find a link to all the episodes we've made in the description below.

你可以在下面的說明欄中找到我們製作的所有影片的連結。

For each episode, we spend weeks reporting, speaking with experts, and poring over archival images and documents to present fact-checked stories.

每一集影片，我們都會花費數週的時間進行報導、與專家訪談，並仔細研究圖像和文件，以呈現經過事實核查的故事。

You can help support our journalism — and keep it free — by making a gift to Vox at vox.com/support-vox-video.

你可以在 vox.com/support-vox-video 上向 Vox 贈送禮物來幫助支持我們的新聞工作。

With your support, we're able to keep telling these stories about hidden histories.

有了你的支持，我們就能繼續講述這些隱藏的歷史故事。