Poinsettia, euphorbia pulcherrima, meaning “very beautiful”, was named after the first US ambassador to Mexico Joel Poinsett in the 1820’s.  His interest in botany led to discover this beautiful plant in 1828 growing next to a road in Mexico.  The Ecke family in southern California began growing them outdoors in the early 1900’s and soon became the leading producer in the United States. Our production facilities produced and sold their first poinsettia in 1962.