The poinsettia, the most popular holiday plant, is best known as the plant with bright red flowers on a green background. But what most people think of as the flowers are actually colored bracts or leaves, which surround a small, yellowish-green structure that is the true flower. Today's poinsettia is much improved from the poinsettia of even five years ago, thanks to plant breeders. Even speckled pink, red and white bracts are now available in cultivars, such as Jingle Bells and Monet. Even more recent on the scene include those with variegated green and yellow leaves, bracts that have sharply pointed lobes that resemble holly leaves and a few that have ruffled bracts.
New cultivars tend to have a greater number of large flowers on more compact plants.
Poinsettia trees are also popular as are hanging baskets. Although, like many other florists' plants, dwarf poinsettias can be found that pack a lot of color in a small package. The long-lasting nature of today's poinsettias can only be enjoyed if they receive the proper care in your home. The best way to extend their beauty is to match, as closely as possible, the conditions in which they were produced. Poinsettias are raised in greenhouses where cool temperatures can be maintained between 60 -75 F with high relative humidity and high light intensity.