Euphorbia subg. Poinsettia 1858, but promoted to subgenus rank by Homer Doliver House in 1924. Recent studies have confirmed its monophyly. Its many species include: The common name "wild poinsettia" is sometimes applied to two of these species. Euphorbia subg. Poinsettia Euphorbia" subg. "Poinsettia is a subgenus deriving from the genus "Euphorbia", and is endemic to North America. <nowiki> </nowiki>It contains around 24 species, of which the best known is "E. pulcherrima", the poinsettia. This species grows wild in the mountains on the Pacific slope of Mexico, and despite many legends, no one is quite sure from which wild populations the cultivated varieties
Poinsettia in the growth of axillary buds is credited to Ing-Ming Lee of the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Poinsettias are susceptible to several diseases, mostly fungal, but also bacterial and parasitic. In the United States and perhaps elsewhere, there is a common misconception that the poinsettia is highly toxic. This misconception was spread by a 1919 urban legend of a two-year-old child dying after consuming a poinsettia leaf. While the sap and latex of many plants of the spurge genus are indeed toxic, the poinsettia's toxicity is relatively mild. Its latex can cause an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals. It is