Morelos, Mexico - Poinsettia growers in the state of Morelos set a new Guinness World Record on Saturday for the "Largest Floral Carpet in the World." Consisting of over 130,000 of the flowering plants, known in Mexico as nochebuenas, the 'carpet,' in the shape of a poinsettia, covers 153,000 square feet at the Jardines de México in Tehiuxtla, Morelos.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food Production (SAGARPA), over 720 people, including designers, landscapers and flower producers, participated in the creation of the flower carpet, designed by Mexican architect and the director of landscaping at Jardines de México, Óscar Jiménez de León.

Thirteen Poinsettia varieties, including "hot pink", "prestige red", "orange spice" and "polar bear", among others, were grown in the state of Morelos with the aim of having them used in the creation of the mammoth carpet. To win the title, it had to made from live plants, closely spaced and rooted in the ground or in planters.

Guinness noted that the record had been held since August by flower producers from Kiev, Ukraine for their floral carpet consisting of 140,000 sq.ft. of marigolds and petunias.

The privately-owned gardens are a popular tourist attraction in Tehiuxtla, a half-hour's drive from Cuernavaca. Winning a Guinness World record was one objective in planting the huge poinsettia garden. The other was to remind everyone that the poinsettia is a native Mexican plant.