Poinsettias, named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, are native southern Mexico and Central America plants, and can grow as tall as 16 feet. Legend has it that a young Mexican child could not afford to offer Christ a gift on Christmas Eve, so he picked some weeds from the side of a road, in the belief that even his humble gift, given in love, would be worthy. When the weeds were brought into the church, they bloomed into red and green flowers, which the congregation agreed was a Christmas miracle.
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