National Poinsettia Day, celebrated every Dec. 12, honors the red plant that’s become a holiday-season favorite.
Native to Mexico, cuetlaxochitl were known to the Aztecs, who used them for dyes and medicinal purposes. The plant’s Christmas connection began in the 16th century with a Mexican legend about a humble gift of weeds that miraculously bloomed into bright red leaves. In the 1800s, U.S. ambassador Joel Poinsett brought the plant north, giving it its English name.
By the 20th century, clever marketing and greenhouse cultivation made poinsettias a Christmas staple, now topping holiday plant sales across the country each year.
– Staff report with AI assist*, The Today 100
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