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This is the poinsettia. Also known as la flor de nochebuena, The Christmas star, The lobster flower, The flame leaf, Euphorbia pulcherrima, And, one of its oldest names, cuetlaxochitl. In the US during the holidays, this plant, usually potted with bright red and  green leaves, can be seen everywhere. But the history of how it got here is less obvious. And it’s all wrapped up in the controversial legacy of this man: Joel Poinsett. Poinsettias are native to this region, from Mexico down into Central and South America. The Aztec called it cuetlaxochitl, meaning “flower that withers.” And unlike the potted varieties we see today, in the wild these plants look like tall  shrubs that flower in the winter season. It was a prized plant. The brilliant red colored leaves (which are leaves and not actually petals) were used to dye textiles, while the sap of the plants was used medicinally. And by the 17th century, likely because of those red leaves that bloomed in time for the holiday season, Spanish friars used the flowers to decorate elaborate nativity displays in Mexico. Spanish-speaking Mexicans named it la flor de nochebuena, the flower of Christmas Eve. And for many in the country, it became forever linked to Christmastime.  For hundreds of years, common knowledge of the   plant was largely contained to where it grew natively.  That is, until Joel Poinsett. In 1825, Poinsett, a diplomat, amateur botanist, and South Carolina native, was appointed as the first ever US minister to Mexico. As the story goes, he came across cuetlaxochitl in a town called Taxco,   took some cuttings, and shipped them off to the US to distribute to his botanist peers.  Eventually they caught on in the US, too. They were debuted at an 1829 flower show in Philadelphia. Nurseries began to grow and distribute the plants in the US. And its popularity as the “Christmas plant” exploded. The name “poinsettia” stuck, as a way to celebrate Joel Poinsett's legacy. One that would grow to include not just  minister to Mexico, but US Secretary of War, and founding member of the institution that would later become the Smithsonian. But his legacy is a tainted one. Take Poinsett’s time as minister to Mexico, where he aggressively attempted to increase American influence in the country. One letter to Secretary of State Martin Van Buren — focused on the potential to “enlighten minds with liberal ideas” — revealed his thoughts on the Mexican population, stating the Spaniards’ “...constant intercourse with the aborigines, who were and still are degraded to the very lowest class of human beings… contributed to render the Mexicans a more ignorant and debauched people.” Poinsett, a slave owner himself back in the US, believed racial hierarchy between the indigenous and “white Creole” population could help progress in Mexico. Poinsett also sought to expand American borders. At the time, the US looked like this… and he was tasked with negotiating a deal to buy Texas from Mexico. But, before he could negotiate that...