Poinsettia
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Poinsettias are small houseplants which produce striking red flowers at Christmas time. They are often used as a floral christmas decoration because of their festive colours.
The 'flowers' are actually large bunches of coloured leaves (modified bracts) rather than flowers. Poinsettias have also been bred with orange, pale green, cream and marbled flower heads.
The plant was named after Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett who was the US ambassador for Mexico in the 1820s.
Poinsettias are native to Mexico, where they may reach heights of sixteen feet.
Legend
A Mexican legend explains how poinsettias came to be associated with Christmas. Apparently, a child who could not afford a gift to offer to Christ on Christmas Eve picked some weeds from the side of a road. The child was told that a humble gift, if given in love, would be acceptable in God's eyes. When brought into the church, the weeds bloomed into red and green flowers and the congregation felt they had witnessed a Christmas miracle.
