Some plants simply sit quietly on windowsills. The poinsettia? It demands the spotlight. Bright, bold and as red as Rudolph"s nose, it is native to Mexico and Central America. In Mexico, it is known as the Flores de Nochebuena (Flowers of the Holy Night), a symbol of Christmas celebrations. The poinsettia"s common name comes from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States minister to Mexico, who introduced it to the United States in the 1820s.
Spotted poinsettia
Today in History
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Flooded crypt, Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Italy
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Tree frog, Costa Rica
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Tide pools in La Jolla, California, United States
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Koala, Australia
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St. Michaels Church Tower on Glastonbury Tor, Glastonbury, Somerset, England
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Andean cocks-of-the-rock, Ecuador
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The fishing village of Reine, Norway
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Oxbow Bend on the Snake River, Wyoming, United States
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Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy
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Sassnitz lighthouse, Germany
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Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria
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Nighttime view over the Gulf Coast
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La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
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Bathing boxes at Brighton Beach, Australia
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European goldfinches
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Mam Tor, Derbyshire, England
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Blue-footed booby, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
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The Pragser Wildsee in the Dolomites, Italy
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Milwaukee City Hall, Wisconsin, United States
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Daiichi Tadami River Bridge, Fukushima, Japan
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Polar bears in the Arctic
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Hoffmanns two-toed sloth
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

