poinsettia Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun tropical American plant having poisonous milk and showy tapering usually scarlet petallike leaves surrounding small yellow flowers
    lobster plant; Euphorbia pulcherrima; painted leaf; Mexican flameleaf; Christmas star; Christmas flower.

WordNet


Poin*set"ti*a noun
Etymology
NL. Named after Joel R. Poinsett of South Carolina.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A Mexican shrub (Euphorbia pulcherrima) with very large and conspicuous vermilion bracts below the yellowish flowers.

Webster 1913