Poinsettias are native to Central America , specifically the southerly region of Mexico . The plant was highly measure by the Aztecs , who address itCuetlaxochitl . They used the vibrant blood-red bracts to make dyestuff and the sap for medicinal purposes . The poinsettia ’s connexion with Christmas began in the 16th century , in Mexico , where a legend tell of a piteous girl who could only offer up weeds to Jesus on Christmas Eve . As the taradiddle go , the lowly natural endowment blossomed into the bright red bloom of a Euphorbia pulcherrima .
The industrial plant ’s journey to the United States is credited to Joel Roberts Poinsett , the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico and an amateur phytologist . In 1828 , Poinsett put in the plant life to America , where it advance his name as “ poinsettia . ”
Its colorful bract , which are often mistaken for flower flower petal . These bracts are modified leaves that change color in response to the plant ’s photoperiod ( photo to illumination and dark ) . The literal flowers are the small white-livered or green structures found in the nerve centre of the bracts , calledcyathia . While the Graeco-Roman poinsettia is bed for its burnished crimson bracts , there are many cultivar that come in colors such as white , pink , marbled , and even bespeckle . This range has been developed through extensive cultivation and breeding .
Poinsettias thrive in lovesome climates and require specific care to maintain their colour and health . They need well - draining soil , moderate tearing ( let the stain dry out out between lachrymation ) , and plentitude of brilliant , indirect igniter . If properly maintained , they can be kept year - rotund , though coaxing them into re - blossom can be challenging without exact control of light-headed vulnerability .
There is a widespread belief that Christmas flower are highly toxic to pet and humans , but this is mostly exaggerated . While their saphead can cause mild skin irritation or an upset stomach if ingested in large amount , they are not fatally poisonous .
