Showy poinsettias are the most widely recognized Christmas flower.
Christmas in much of the U.S. doesn't mimic tropical conditions, but several tropical flowering plants are commonly associated with the holiday. The plants' deep greens and dark reds are reminiscent of traditional Christmas colors, and if kept indoors in similar conditions to their native tropical environments, they will display their festive bracts and flowers even during the dead of winter. Does this Spark an idea?
Kauai Christmas
Kauai Christmas is one of three cultivars of Heliconia orthotricha released at the end of the 20th century by the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. This medium-sized tropical plant flowers most prolifically between December and February, featuring bright red bracts, or modified leaves, with deep green edges and points and a black border.
Poinsettia
Poinsettias' association with Christmas is widely known, so it's a surprise to some that these are actually tropical plants. The plant's flowers are located in the center of its bracts, which are often mistaken for the flowers due to their bright red coloring. The poinsettia plant originated in Mexico, and its primary use in contemporary society is as a holiday plant. According to the University of Illinois Extension, poinsettias make up more than 80 percent of holiday potted-plant sales.
Christmas Cactus
The Christmas cactus, which comes from tropical portions of South America, features a scalloped, rather than pointy, stem. It displays red and purple symmetrical blooms alongside its greenery between December and February. Two other holiday cacti, the Thanksgiving and Easter cacti, are often mistaken for Christmas cacti, but the time of year in which the plant blooms is an effective indicator for which plant is which. Each plant blooms around its namesake holiday.
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