Impress folks at Christmas dinner this year when you share facts about poinsettias. Discover the past and present of this holiday plant.
11 Fascinating Poinsettia Facts You Should Know
Updated on Oct. 18, 2024
Everyone’s favorite Christmas flower has an interesting history. Read up to learn interesting and fun poinsettia facts.
On This Page
Poinsettias Come From Mexico
Those who know even basic poinsettia facts can tell you these plants come from Mexico. They have a long history there.
In the 14th century, the Aztecs of Mexico used poinsettia, called cuetlaxóchitl, in many ways. They used the bracts as paint for rituals and dyes and the sap medicinally to treat fevers. Note that the sap can be a skin irritant.
Learn how to care for poinsettias now and after the holidays.
Why Poinsettias Are Christmas Flowers
When Christianity was introduced by Europeans, poinsettias came to be associated Christmas almost immediately.
Legend tells of a poor young Mexican girl named Pepita who wished to give a present to baby Jesus at the Christmas service. Her cousin Pedro encouraged her, saying, “Even small gifts given with love make Jesus happy.”
With nothing else to give, she pulled a handful of flowering weeds from the side of the road and laid them at the altar. Moments later, they transformed into brilliant red blooms—surely a miracle.
Learn fascinating facts about Christmas cactus.
Plant Name Controversy
The explorer U.S. Ambassador Joel Roberts Poinsett introduced the plant to the U.S. in 1828 after seeing it used ceremonially by friars in Mexico. However, Poinsett was a slave owner, and some are calling for a name change, suggesting the traditional Aztec name be used instead to reflect its Indigenous origins, or the scientific name Euphorbia pulcherrima.
Discover the best types of Christmas trees you can grow.
Tiny Flowers and Colored Leaves
The red “flowers” of poinsettias aren’t flowers at all. The flowers of the plant are tiny and yellow, tucked in the center of each collection of leaves. The colored leaves are known as bracts.
Find out how to grow and care for amaryllis.
Poinsettias Need Darkness to Bloom
The leaves start out green, spending most of the year growing large. Poinsettias require 14 hours of total darkness daily before bracts turn color, appearing to bloom.
Butterflies Love Poinsettia Flowers
Speaking of pollinators, butterflies love the flowers of poinsettia. If you live in a warmer climate (no frosts or freezes at all), plant your poinsettias outside to draw butterflies to your garden.
Colored bracts help draw pollinators to the diminutive flowers, which might otherwise go unnoticed.
Follow these tips for growing paperwhite flowers indoors.
Poinsettias Don’t Like Cold Weather
Poinsettias bloom their best in high humidity, so keep your plant away from cold drafts. If your poinsettias are outside in a milder climate, bring them inside before temperatures reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit – that’s when they start suffering cold damage.
Poinsettias Are Not Poisonous
Despite the very common myth, poinsettias are not extremely poisonous. Though the sap is mildly toxic and causes stomach distress, no deaths of people or animals have been reported from eating poinsettia.
In fact, studies say that a 50 pound child would need to eat 500 leaves before being in serious danger. Given that poinsettia is very bitter, it’s unlikely a child or pet would take more than one bite.
Poinsettias Come in Many Colors
More than 100 varieties of poinsettias are available, and breeders create more colors and sizes all the time. You can find the plants in shades of red, pink, yellow, cream and white, which can be solid, striped or stippled, and even varied leaf colors and plant sizes.
The Most Popular Potted Plants
During the winter holiday season, more poinsettias are sold than any other potted plant the rest of the year, making it the top-selling potted plant in the United States, with about $200 million in sales annually.
Poinsettias Grow Taller Outdoors
While you may know it as a tabletop plant, only 1 or 2 feet high, in the sunshine of Mexico, it can reach 10 feet tall.
Now that you know some fascinating poinsettia facts, discover festive facts about holiday flowers and plants.
Additional reporting by Jill Staake
Sources
- University of Missouri Extension – Poinsettia: America’s most popular flower
- USDA – National Agricultural Statistics Service
- K State Research and Extension – Keep poinsettias in the dark to encourage new blooms
- Illinois Extension – History of Poinsettia
- University of Washington – What to call poinsettia
- Greenville Journal – The complicated history of the poinsettia
- University of Minnesota Extension – Growing and caring for poinsettia
- Illinois Extension Houseplants – Poinsettia
