December 12, 2025

Spotted poinsettia

Some plants simply sit quietly on windowsills. The poinsettia? It demands the spotlight. Bright, bold and as red as Rudolph's nose, it is native to Mexico and Central America. In Mexico, it is known as the Flores de Nochebuena (Flowers of the Holy Night), a symbol of Christmas celebrations. The poinsettia's common name comes from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States minister to Mexico, who introduced it to the United States in the 1820s.

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.

Despite its attractive look, 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.