Poinsettia Day

What Is Poinsettia Day?

December 12th is "Poinsettia Day." It began as an American observance, designated by the United States Congress in 2002 as National Poinsettia Day. The date marks the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851), the first US minister to Mexico, after whom the plant is named.

A Red Flower That Spread from Mexico

Poinsett was a physician and botanist as well as a politician.

• Origin of the name: the surname of Joel Roberts Poinsett, first US minister to Mexico
• Discovery: in 1828 he found the plant in its native Mexico and brought it back to the United States
• Classification: an evergreen shrub of the genus Euphorbia, native to Mexico and Central America
• Japanese name: the standard botanical name is "shojoboku"; poinsettia is the common name

The Red Parts Are Leaves, Not Petals

The vivid red of a poinsettia is properly called a bract -- a specialized leaf at the base of the flower. The actual flowers are tiny, clustered in the center. The plant reached Japan in the Meiji era. Its Japanese name comes from the shojo, a legendary creature known for a drinker's red face. In Japan the bracts color from November into December, and because pots appear in florists as Christmas nears it is also called the Christmas flower; in haiku it counts as a winter season word.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Stop by a florist and compare the color varieties
• Put a pot by the entrance or on your desk to start the Christmas season
• Tell someone that the red part is a leaf
• Work out where indoor plants survive best in winter

Bringing the Color of Christmas Indoors

Poinsettias color red, pink and creamy white. December 12th is a day to bring one of the season's colors within reach.