Poinsettia

Poinsettia, a name still commonly applied by florists to a South American species of Euphorbia, largely grown in our hothouses. It is remarkable for its large, pointed, veined, and leaf-like bracts, either deep-red, or less commonly ivory-white, which surround the inconspicuous flower-heads. In sub-tropical regions it is shrubby; but with us is only a pot-plant. It is largely used in church decorations. There are no botanical characters to separate it as a genus from Euphorbia. [Spurge.]