Poinsettia
Euphorbia pulcherrima


Named after a US ambassador. He was complicit in slave trading. Now your Christmas centerpiece.
Euphorbia pulcherrima reached the United States in 1828 with Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico, who is also remembered for his role in the forced removal of indigenous peoples. The red parts are not flowers. They are leaves that learned to lie.