Poinsettia facts: The red leaves (not flowers!)

As Christmas draws near, allow us to present in today’s #WildlifeWednesday a species of plant that is commonly associated with this season — the Poinsettia.

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch) is a native plant of Mexico that was once considered a weed and grows during the winter season. It was named after Colonel Joel Roberts Poinsett who first introduced the plant to the United States.

Poinsettia is grown best in moist soil and in cold weather (18-22 degrees C). It is a popular holiday plant due to its colorful bracts (modified leaves) which are usually mistaken as flowers, as a result of photoperiodism. Poinsettias are considered short-day plants which means that its bloom is affected by the length of daylight (or darkness) exposure. When days are shorter and nights are longer, poinsettias will form their flowers surrounded by brightly colored bracts. Thus, it is important to keep the plant in controlled darkness if you would like to initiate bloom. Daily dark periods of 11 hours generally can initiate blooms in most cultivars while it might also take 14-14.5 hours dark period per day for other varieties. 

Show us your colorful Poinsettias by posting your own shots of the plant in the comment section of our social media pages. 

Text and photo by NMP Botany and National Herbarium Division