Dr. John Roberts Poinsett was an American ambassador to Mexico in the early part of the 19th century and he was very interested in native plants. In Mexico there was a plant called "The Flower of the Holy Night" that was considered a homage to the nativity.
When Pointsett returned to his native South Carolina he brought some of the plants with him. He grew several plants and they became a popular Christmas decoration. Because he was the person that introduced the plant and made it popular, Poinsettias were named after him.
In warm climates the plant can grow in the soil and in cooler areas it is grown in greenhouses, in time for the Christmas season. The red petals of the plant are not flowers, the yellow centers are the actual flower. The red and green parts are just the leaves of the plants.
The plant has been a popular subject for greeting cards for years and these are some examples.
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