Have you seen poinsettias for sale yet? I have. Were they red? Probably. That’s because we all know that poinsettias are red, right? Well, not so fast. There are pink, purple, white, spotted, striped, and even yellow and orange poinsettias. Every year, the commercial plant breeders of poinsettias come out with 5 to 20 new varieties. Most of us don’t notice the differences, but there are some important changes aside from new colors. Poinsettias are not one-size-fits-all plants anymore. There are important considerations for the grower and for the consumer of poinsettias. Poinsettias are native to Mexico and Central America where they grow into 10-foot-tall shrubs. They are named after the first U.S. Minister to Mexico Joel Poinsett, who introduced the plant to botanists in the United States in the 1820s. Fast-forward about 100 years and the Ecke family founds the first poinsettia nursery in California. They popularized poinsettias and …