poinsettia

Every year during the season of Christmas, we can find poinsettias everywhere we go. I really like their vibrant colours of vermillion, green and gold. In our local Malay language, we call them 'bunga krismas' meaning Christmas flowers. In Chinese, it is called "yī pǐn hóng" (一品紅).

What you do call it in your language?

When I see poinsettias at our local nurseries, I can't resist the temptation to buy one to take home. From then on, I will be busy looking after its needs, admiring it everyday, watering it and trying to make it last the whole season and thereafter, hoping that the leaves will turn from red to green very very slowly. Each time a leaf drop off, my heart will miss a beat.

I use it as a decoration for my living room. I have placed my poinsettia near the windowsill, to get some sunlight. I know that poinsettias are native to Mexico, and they are known as 'nochebuena' in Mexican language. I would like to dedicate this post to Fer, from whom I learnt its Mexican name. His post about nochebuena, his favourite plant is here.