Despite being known in Spain as Flor de Pascua (Easter flower), thousands of Poinsettia plants adorn roadways and roundabouts here on the southern coast of Andalucía, around Christmas-time each year.
What you actually see are vivid red leaves (known as bracts) surrounding a cluster of greenish flowers, almost too small to be noticeable. The true flowers are like little vases no larger than a pea, and on its side each has a yellow cup, a gland, brimming with glistening sticky nectar that, if you taste it, is as sweet as honey.
The plant is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, an American diplomat and amateur botanist, who saw it growing in Mexico as a roadside weed and later introduced the first plant into the US in 1825.
This post is my response to the Travel Theme photo challenge – Flowers
Other interpretations:
Flowering snapshot of a January day around the garden
East of Málaga 
Bursting with colour!
…and so cheerful, too! 🙂
I love the photo, and the fun facts.
Thanks Naomi – much appreciated. 🙂
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Thanks M. I love poinsettias. 🙂
Such a vivid, beautiful image!
Now I have Christmas on my mind! This is lovely. Thanks for the ping back and for joining this week’s challenge. ~ Sherene
You are most welcome, Sherene. It was great to have a look around your blog. 🙂
How beautiful, Marianne – poinsettias always herald Christmas for me, but I’ve never seen them growing outdoors. I bet it’s a lovely sight.
Yes, it is Ailsa. I believe poinsettias grow like weeds in Mexico!
They are just so cheerful and vibrant, aren´t they? I love them and we are so lucky that they grow so easily (and in poor soil) here.
Lovely photo, Marianne. Poinsettias always say “Its almost Christmas,” to me, as that’s when we see them here in the shops.
What wonderful, vibrant plants! So beautiful!
Thank you for the pingback and for visiting my site!
You are most welcome. I enjoyed reading your article, very much.
Yes, it´s a joy to see them everywhere.
Thanks for taking the trouble to visit and post a comment.
Hi Rachel – Hey at least that´s better than the UK where poinsettias are Christmas houseplants! 😉
Gorgeous photo, just love them, so jealous they can be planted and survive where you are. Here further inland (Jaén) they do plant them but they don´t survive long as they can´t withstand the cold.