Poinsettia flower Dec 12, 2024

Here"s the red poinsettia, one of the plants known for its striking star-shaped leaves. The poinsettia has become a symbol of Christmas cheer, brightening homes and public spaces across North America. Fun fact: Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico, introduced these vibrant plants to America in the 1820s after discovering them while exploring the Taxco region in Guerrero. The small yellow structures found at the centre of the vibrant bracts are the actual blooms. These flowers, grouped within cyathia, are crucial to the plant"s reproductive process. Interestingly, the hues of poinsettia bracts result from photoperiodism, a light-sensitive process crucial for their colour transformation.

© David Hosking/NPL/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

Dec 12, 2023Poinsettias
Dec 12, 2025Spotted poinsettia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 7, 2024Family of humpback whales, Dutch Harbour, Alaska
Feb 12, 2024Galápagos tortoise
Nov 23, 2024Spiral aloe, Kangaroo Island, Australia
Aug 24, 2025European fallow deer, England
Oct 20, 2023Pygmy three-toed sloth
Jun 4, 2025Moritzburg Castle, Saxony, Germany
Sep 22, 2025Aspen trees, Fishlake National Forest, Utah, United States
Jan 5, 2025Plum-headed parakeet
Nov 19, 2023Alam-Pedja Nature Reserve, Estonia
Jul 30, 2024San Gimignano, Siena, Italy
Nov 1, 2023Haut-Barr Castle, Vosges, France
Jun 6, 2024Greater flamingos at Pont de Gau Ornithological Park, Camargue, France
Apr 22, 2025Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, United States
Sep 6, 2024Glenariff Forest Park, Northern Ireland, UK
Jun 8, 2025Steller sea lions
Nov 5, 2023Playa del Silencio, Spain
Apr 2, 2025Sandstone formations in the badlands near Caineville, Utah, United States
Nov 5, 2024Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
Jan 22, 2025Ad-Deir, Petra, Jordan
Nov 12, 2025Colosseum, Rome, Italy
May 6, 2024Heidelberg on the river Neckar, Germany
Jul 16, 2024Skara Brae, Scotland
Dec 8, 2023La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
Feb 2, 2025Alpine marmot
Jun 10, 2024The city of Osaka at night, Japan
Oct 24, 2024Bodie State Historic Park, California, United States
Jan 14, 2025Village of Zahara de la Sierra, Cadiz, Spain
Jan 24, 2024Diamond Beach, Iceland
Nov 2, 2025Maple and bamboo forests in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan
Mar 5, 2026Evening over Göreme, Cappadocia, Türkiye