Spotted poinsettia Dec 12, 2025

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.

© DigiPub/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dec 12, 2023Poinsettias
Dec 12, 2024Poinsettia flower

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jan 21, 2024Eurasian red squirrel
Jan 6, 2025Flooded crypt, Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Italy
May 15, 2025Palace of Westminster, London, England
May 24, 2026Tre Cime Nature Park, South Tyrol, Italy
Mar 20, 2026Snowdrops in spring
Feb 12, 2026Blue-footed booby, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Apr 1, 2024Mer de Glace, Chamonix, France
Mar 20, 2024Peveril Castle, Derbyshire, England
Sep 17, 2024Kerala, India
Feb 7, 2026Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia
Jan 11, 2025Heri es-Swani in Meknes, Morocco
Aug 3, 2024Three Natural Bridges, Wulong National Park, China
July 30, 2026Monument Valley, Navajo Nation, Arizona, United States
Apr 24, 2026Everglades National Park, Florida, United States
Sep 6, 2025Rufous hummingbird
Nov 19, 2024Tasmans Arch, Tasman National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Mar 19, 2026Short-beaked echidna, Adelaide Hills, Australia
Dec 18, 2024Jim Corbett National Park, India
Aug 18, 2025Avalanche Lake Trail at Adirondack High Peaks, New York, United States
Nov 16, 2025A traboule in Lyon, France
May 3, 2025Arches National Park, Utah, United States
Jun 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Apr 18, 2024Medieval city walls, Ávila, Spain
July 24, 2026American flamingos, Isabela Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Aug 25, 2024Glacier National Park, Montana
Oct 8, 2023Veined octopus
May 9, 2026Skradinski Buk Waterfall, Krka National Park, Croatia
Mar 18, 2026Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon, USA
May 22, 2025Baobab trees at sunset, Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar
Nov 14, 2025Mother manatee and calf