Species · genus Euphorbia · Euphorbiaceae

Poinsettia

Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch

Also known as: Christmas Flower · Christmas Star · Mexican Flameleaf · Lobsterplant · Paintedleaf

Growth habit

shrub

Native range

Guatemala, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest

Reference · E. pulcherrima

Cultivars of E. pulcherrima

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under E. pulcherrima yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A deciduous shrub native to the seasonally dry forests and slopes of Mexico and Guatemala, where it grows in warmth with bright but filtered light. Give it a bright spot out of harsh midday sun and let the top inch or two of mix dry before watering, then water thoroughly and let excess drain. It resents sitting wet, so err toward dry rather than soggy.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

15–24 °C

Soil mix

Rich, well-draining peat-based mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings taken in spring

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly while in leaf

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Showy red bracts with short-day light control; tricky to rebloom indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Euphorbiaceae produce an irritant milky latex that can inflame skin, eyes, and the mouth or gut if chewed. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Poinsettia yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.