Euphorbia pulcherrima

The poinsettia, called nochebuena in Mexico, is a plant native to Mexico whose bright red leaves surround its small flowers. The Aztecs knew it as cuetlaxóchitl, and today it decorates homes, churches and plazas throughout the Christmas season.

Its English name honors Joel Poinsett, the first United States minister to Mexico, who took the plant north in the 1820s. Don’t confuse it with the cempasúchil, the orange marigold associated with the Day of the Dead.