Poinsettia Day Dec 12, 2022

Poinsettia Day

It"s been almost 200 years since poinsettias were first brought to the US from their native Mexico, where the Aztecs used the leaves to make dye and the sap to treat fevers. American botanist and government representative Joel Roberts Poinsett introduced the scarlet foliage to the U.S. in 1828. Flash forward to the 1960s, when a breeding program resulted in hardier, fuller plants and many variations. The booming poinsettia wholesale trade in the US brings in a whopping $250 million a year. The House of designated December 12 as Poinsettia Day in 2002. Poinsettias are the top-selling potted plant in the US and Canada, brightening holiday tables every December.

© Elizabeth Fernandez/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Dec 12, 2018The story of the poinsettia
Dec 12, 2019On the lookout for Sheep-Cote Clod
Dec 12, 2020What are we looking at?
Dec 12, 2021Wicker fields in Cañamares, Spain
Dec 12, 2023Poinsettia Day
Dec 12, 2024Poinsettia Day
Dec 12, 2025National Poinsettia Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 5, 2019Balloons and camels are two ways to catch a ride here
Nov 13, 2018Autumn’s swan song
Feb 15, 2021Presidents hear the echo of history
Dec 8, 2025Christmas lights in Domaso, Lake Como, Italy
Jul 19, 2025National Moth Week
May 9, 2021Happy Mother s Day!
Aug 22, 2018Summer’s in home stretch
Dec 28, 202350 years of the Endangered Species Act
Aug 13, 2018Look to the north sky tonight for the Perseids
Oct 9, 2018A history of Vinland
Jul 20, 2018Composite of photographs from the Apollo 15 mission
Jul 23, 2022National Moth Week
Mar 28, 2023The Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Italy
Dec 11, 2025International Mountain Day
Aug 18, 2023Avatar Mountains, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China
Sep 7, 2022200th anniversary of Brazilian independence
Jun 4, 2025The beach at Cala Luna, Sardinia, Italy
Aug 13, 2023Perseid meteor shower over Oregon
May 9, 2019An endless journey
May 27, 2021Listening to the sea
Apr 2, 2020Pascua Florida Day
Sep 20, 2023Aqueduct, Arkadia Park, Poland
May 8, 2024Marseille welcomes the Olympic torch
Aug 23, 2021A little blue
Oct 28, 2024Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Nov 24, 2020Feel the spray in Monterey
Jan 14, 2018Sanday Island and the North Sea, Scotland
Aug 24, 2023Shark Fin Cove, California
Sep 13, 2020Super sandy Sweet 16
Oct 17, 2024Frost-covered dunes on Mars