CarL EcKe --a groweR heRe=iN San Diego, CaL. haS maDe a LifetiMe of breeding(cultivating theSe things...
--the even have white ones now..

poinsettia |poinˈset(ē)ə|
noun
a small Mexican shrub with large showy scarlet bracts surrounding the small yellow flowers, popular as a houseplant at Christmas. • Euphorbia (formerly Poinsettia) pulcherrima, family Euphorbiaceae.
ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: modern Latin, named after Joel R. Poinsett (1779–1851), American diplomat and amateur botanist.