Poinsettias are a Christmas tradition throughout the Americas. The plant is native to Southern Mexico and Central America.

Poinsettias are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico, who introduced the plant in the U.S. in 1825.

Paul Ecke of Encinitas, California was responsible for the technological advance that made poinsettias a successful commercial plant. One key to poinsettia profits is getting the plants to grow so that multiple branches come off one stem, creating a fuller, more colorful plant.

The Eckes' technique, which involved grafting two varieties of poinsettia together, made it possible to get every seedling to branch. Ecke had perfected this poinsettia secret before 1910 and his family had a virtual poinsettia monopoly for about 80 years. Around 1996 a university researcher made the same discovery and made the technique public.

Since then the Eckes Poinsettia Ranch has adapted and now is a great source of technical assistance and research funding for both commercial growers and consumers.

Poinsettias grow well in outdoor gardens in other warm areas such as Southern California and Florida (with only slight protection from the cold). It now grows wild in Puerto Rico and Hawaii.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), also known as the Mexican flame leaf, Christmas star, Winter rose, Noche Buena or Pascua, is a sub-tropical plant known for its striking red displays at Christmas time. It's often used as a floral Christmas decoration because of its festive colors, though its "flowers" are actually large bunches of colored leaves (modified bracts).

In South American folklore, Poinsettias are central to the creation myth story of the Mayan Indians. It is believed that Poinsettias are powerful creatures from another world.

Poinsettias are native to southern Mexico and Central America. They are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico, who introduced the plant in the U.S. in 1825.

In Nahuatl, the plant is called Cuitlaxochitl meaning excrement flower. This may be because birds would eat the seeds, and then they would appear to germinate from bird excrement.

In the U.S., poinsettias can be found in the wild in Hawaii and Puerto Rico.