Spotted poinsettia

The plant that paints the holidays red. National Poinsettia Day

Some plants simply sit quietly on windowsills. The poinsettia? It demands the spotlight. Bright, bold and as red as Rudolph's nose, this December diva even has its own holiday—National Poinsettia Day, celebrated on December 12. Prior to becoming a popular Christmas decoration, this shrub had quite a journey. Long before it appeared in living rooms, it grew wild in Mexico, where the Aztecs used it for dyes and medicine. Then, in the 1820s, US diplomat Joel Roberts Poinsett spotted the plant, fell for its charm and sent it home. The rest, as they say, is history—and botany.

Despite its festive fame, the poinsettia still has to fight off some myths. The biggest one? That it's poisonous. It won't make you feel great if you eat one (and your cat won't thank you either), but it's far from deadly. Did you know the poinsettia's red parts aren't actually flowers? They're leaves called bracts. The real flowers are those tiny yellow buds in the middle. Today, poinsettias come in over a hundred shades—pink, white, marbled, even speckled. Whatever your style, there's a poinsettia to match your mood.