Poinsettias did n’t go far in the United States until the 19th century . The works is named for the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico , Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett , who introduced America to the lobster plant in 1828 , after unwrap it in the wilderness in southerly Mexico . Dr. Poinsett , who dabbled in botany when he was n’t politick between body politic , sent cuttings of the plant back to his South Carolina home . While it was n’t initially embraced , its caught on over the class , and by the 20th hundred it was a holiday mainstay . In fact , National Poinsettia Day is lionise on Dec. 12 , honoring both the plant and the man who brought it to America [ generator : University of Illinois ] .
So what does a poinsettia have to do with Christmas ? One interpretation of the plant is as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem , the heavenly trunk that lead the three magi , or wisemen , to the office where Christ was born . A Mexican caption tell of a girl who could only bid smoke as a gift to Jesus on Christmas Eve . When she brought the widow’s weeds into a church , they blossom into the beautiful red plant we recognize as poinsettias , known as Flores de Noche Buena in Mexico ( Spanish for " flowers of the holy dark " ) .
A common myth that has existed for generation is that a Christmas star ’s leafage are toxicant . Although it ’s probably not a good idea to have acompetitive - eating contestwith poinsettia bract since they could cause diarrhea , inquiry has shown that a kid could consume as many as 500 lobster plant bract without any toxic effects [ source : Perry ] . A tot who unintentionally nibbles on a leaf may not palpate well , but the consequence wo n’t be fatal . The plant does ooze a milky sap if you cut its stem , which some people are sensitized to .
