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.
Poinsettia flower
Today in History
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Inside the Nobel Peace Centre, Oslo, Norway
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Guanaco, Argentina
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Guild houses of Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium
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Alfanzina lighthouse, Algarve, Portugal
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St. Michaels Church Tower on Glastonbury Tor, Glastonbury, Somerset, England
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Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
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Tasmans Arch, Tasman National Park, Tasmania, Australia
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Magellanic penguins, Volunteer Point, Falkland Islands
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Ardez village, Graubunden, Switzerland
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Lake Minnewanka, Alberta, Canada
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Lagoon Nebula, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope
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