Poinsettias are native to Mexico, and their colorful parts are actually modified leaves called bracts, while the real flowers are the small yellow parts in the center. They are not poisonous, despite a common myth, and the Aztecs used them to make red dye and for fever treatment. Poinsettias were introduced to the U.S. by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, leading to the plant being named after him.
Origin and history
Poinsettias are native to southern Mexico and Guatemala, where they grow as tall shrubs in the wild.
The ancient Aztecs called them cuetlaxochitl, meaning “flower of the color of fire”.
The Spanish associated them with Christmas, calling them Flores de Noche Buena, or “flower of the holy night,” and used them in nativity parades.
Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, brought the plant to the United States in the 1820s, and it was later named after him.