Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are among the most recognizable ornamental plants in the world, celebrated for their vivid, jewel-toned bracts and their near-universal association with the winter holiday season. Native to Mexico and Central America, they were first cultivated by the Aztecs, who used them for dye and as a fever remedy. Today, poinsettias are the best-selling potted plant in the United States, with annual retail sales exceeding $250 million and more than 70 million plants sold each holiday season.
What most people mistake for petals are actually modified leaves called bracts, which surround the plant’s tiny, inconspicuous true flowers at the center. Through decades of careful hybridization, breeders have developed hundreds of named cultivars spanning an extraordinary range of colors, patterns, and growth habits. The palette has expanded far beyond the classic red, now encompassing soft pinks, creamy whites, vivid oranges, deep burgundies, marbled bicolors, and even glitter-dusted novelty forms.
Poinsettias belong to the family Euphorbiaceae and thrive in USDA hardiness zones 9 through 11 as outdoor perennials, where they can reach heights of up to 10 feet. As houseplants in cooler climates, they are typically grown as seasonal annuals. With over 100 cultivated varieties commercially available worldwide, choosing the right poinsettia has become a rewarding pursuit for gardeners and interior decorators alike. The following 40 cultivars represent some of the most beautiful, distinctive, and widely grown types available today.
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Types of Poinsettia
1. Freedom Red
Freedom Red is one of the most commercially successful poinsettia cultivars ever developed, and for good reason. Its large, deep crimson bracts are uniformly colored and exceptionally long-lasting, making it a staple of holiday retail displays across North America and Europe. The plant has a naturally full, well-branched habit and adapts well to a wide range of growing conditions, making it a favorite among both commercial growers and home gardeners.
2. Prestige Red
Prestige Red is celebrated for its intensely saturated, velvety red bracts that hold their color and form throughout the entire holiday season. It features a compact, symmetrical growth habit and unusually dark, glossy green foliage that creates a striking contrast against the brilliant bracts. This cultivar was developed with durability in mind, offering excellent post-harvest longevity — an important trait given that poinsettias are often purchased weeks before display.
3. Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells is a charming bicolor cultivar featuring rosy-pink to red bracts splashed and speckled with creamy white markings. No two plants are exactly alike, as the pattern of variegation differs from bract to bract and plant to plant, giving each specimen its own unique character. This cultivar became enormously popular in the 1980s and remains a beloved choice for those seeking something beyond the standard solid-color forms.
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4. Ice Punch
Ice Punch is a visually dramatic cultivar that produces deep red bracts with bold white centers, creating a striking two-tone effect that catches the eye from a distance. The contrast between the rich outer color and the pale interior gives the plant an almost electric appearance under indoor lighting. It is a relatively compact grower, well-suited to tabletop and windowsill displays.
5. Marble Star
Marble Star lives up to its name with bracts that display a beautiful marbling of white and pink tones swirled together across each surface. The soft, romantic coloring makes it a popular choice for wedding and Valentine’s Day décor as well as holiday settings. Its unusual patterning is the result of careful selective breeding and cannot be easily replicated through seed propagation.
6. Shimmer Surprise
Shimmer Surprise features pale, creamy pink bracts with an almost luminous quality in natural light, edged with deeper rose tones. The plant has a graceful, slightly arching habit and pairs beautifully with white or silver decorative containers. It is a newer cultivar in the poinsettia world and has quickly built a following among florists looking for softer, more romantic alternatives to bold reds.
7. Winter Rose Red
Winter Rose Red is one of the most distinctive poinsettia forms available, featuring tightly curled, inward-cupping bracts that closely resemble the petals of a fully opened garden rose. The rich red color is complemented by the unusual texture created by the curved bracts overlapping one another. This cultivar is extremely popular as a gift plant and brings an elegant, floral sophistication to holiday arrangements.
8. Winter Rose White
The white form of the Winter Rose series offers the same rose-like, cupped bract structure in a pristine ivory to soft white coloring. It has a refined, elegant appearance that suits minimalist and Scandinavian-style holiday décor especially well. Like its red counterpart, Winter Rose White has become a strong seller in the premium gift plant market, where its unusual form justifies a higher retail price point.
9. Lemon Drop
Lemon Drop is a rare and eye-catching cultivar with bracts in a soft, pale yellow that is unique among poinsettias. Yellow is notoriously difficult to achieve in this species, and Lemon Drop represents years of careful hybridization work. The color fades gracefully as the season progresses, and the plant’s novelty value makes it a conversation piece wherever it is displayed.
10. Monet Twilight
Monet Twilight produces soft pink bracts delicately mottled and streaked with rose and cream tones, evoking the impressionistic quality of a watercolor painting. The gentle, multi-toned coloring makes it exceptionally versatile for decorative use across different interior color schemes. This cultivar tends to develop its best color in bright, indirect light and relatively cool indoor temperatures.
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11. Sonora White
Sonora White features large, pure white bracts with a clean, crisp appearance and a naturally vigorous, well-branched growth habit. As one of the most reliable white poinsettia cultivars commercially available, it is widely used in both retail and wholesale markets. White poinsettias have grown in popularity over the past decade, now accounting for roughly 8 percent of all poinsettia sales in the United States.
12. Carousel Pink
Carousel Pink is a compact, dwarf cultivar bearing medium-sized bracts in a warm, bubblegum pink. Its small stature makes it ideal for mixed holiday plantings, windowsill groupings, and decorative pots where larger varieties would overwhelm the space. The bright, cheerful color appeals especially to younger buyers and those seeking poinsettias for non-traditional holiday color palettes.
13. Cortez Burgundy
Cortez Burgundy offers a deep, wine-dark bract color that sits somewhere between red and purple, giving it a moody, sophisticated quality unlike any of the standard red cultivars. The rich hue is enhanced by the plant’s sturdy, upright stems and broad, dark green leaves. It is a popular choice for elegant, contemporary holiday arrangements and works particularly well in combination with gold or copper décor accents.
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14. Plum Pudding
Plum Pudding lives up to its festive name with bracts in a deep, saturated plum-purple that is one of the most unusual color expressions in the poinsettia world. The color is consistent across the bract surface and holds well throughout the season. This cultivar is especially prized by florists and designers working on non-traditional holiday displays where classic red would feel out of place.
15. Strawberries and Cream
Strawberries and Cream is a bicolor cultivar combining warm strawberry-pink bracts with creamy white streaking and mottling. The combination is immediately appealing and has a soft, vintage quality that suits cottage-style and farmhouse interior décor. This cultivar tends to develop its fullest coloring when night temperatures drop to around 60°F (15°C), encouraging deeper pigmentation in the bracts.
16. Picasso
Picasso is a boldly patterned cultivar with pale pink to nearly white bracts edged in deeper rose-pink, creating a distinct two-tone look reminiscent of a watercolor outline. The unusual edging pattern is stable across individual plants, making it a reliable and distinctive choice for retail displays. Its artistic, painterly appearance is part of what earned it its famous namesake.
17. Peppermint Twist
Peppermint Twist is one of the most festively named poinsettias, featuring red bracts streaked with white in patterns that call to mind the classic holiday candy. The streaking is irregular and lively, giving the plant an energetic, playful appearance. It remains a perennial favorite at holiday garden centers and is particularly popular with children and families decorating for Christmas.
18. Silverstar White
Silverstar White produces elegant, star-shaped bracts in a clean, bright white, with a form that is more pointed and elongated than many round-bracted cultivars. The sharp, angular bract shape gives the plant a more graphic, modern look that appeals to those who prefer contemporary aesthetics in their holiday décor. It is a vigorous grower and holds its bracts well in warm, dry indoor environments.
19. Autumn Leaves
Autumn Leaves is a warm-toned cultivar bearing bracts in a blend of orange, russet, and gold that evokes the colors of a fall landscape. Though typically sold as a holiday plant, its earthy color palette makes it equally at home in autumn décor arrangements. It is one of the most distinctive orange cultivars available and pairs beautifully with dried botanicals and natural wood accents.
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20. Orange Spice
Orange Spice produces bracts in a vibrant, true orange — a color that was once nearly impossible to achieve in poinsettias and remains something of a horticultural feat. The warm, glowing hue makes it a standout in any display and works especially well in combination with deep green and gold. Orange poinsettias like this cultivar have surged in popularity in recent years as consumer demand for non-traditional holiday colors has grown.
21. Spotlight Red
Spotlight Red is a large-bracted cultivar known for the exceptional uniformity of its deep red coloring across every surface of every bract. It has been widely adopted by commercial greenhouse growers for its reliability and even crop performance, producing plants of consistent height, shape, and color at scale. Home gardeners appreciate it equally for its reliable beauty and ease of care.
22. Da Vinci
Da Vinci is a soft, peachy-pink cultivar with gently ruffled bracts and a warm golden undertone that sets it apart from cooler pinks. The color deepens slightly toward the bract margins, creating a subtle gradient effect. Its refined, artistic appearance suits contemporary interiors beautifully and makes it a natural choice for upscale gift giving during the holiday season.
23. Candy Apple
Candy Apple produces bracts in a glossy, vibrant true red with a slightly reflective quality that makes it appear especially luminous under warm indoor lighting. It is a vigorous, fast-growing cultivar with excellent branching and a naturally symmetrical habit, making it one of the easiest varieties to grow into a full, show-quality specimen. The name perfectly captures the shiny, lacquered appearance of the bracts.
24. Sparkling Punch
Sparkling Punch features hot pink bracts with a bright, high-contrast appearance and strong, upright stems. The bold, electric pink coloring is among the most vivid in the poinsettia world, making it an attention-grabbing choice for retail displays and home interiors alike. It performs particularly well under bright, indirect light, which keeps the color saturated throughout the season.
25. Cinnamon Star
Cinnamon Star is a warm, spiced-tone cultivar bearing bracts in a dusty cinnamon-orange that is earthy and sophisticated rather than bright or showy. The muted, terracotta-adjacent color makes it highly versatile for rustic, boho, and mid-century modern interior styles. It is less commonly found in mainstream retail and is typically available through specialty nurseries and online plant retailers.
26. Polar Bear
Polar Bear is a pure white cultivar recognized for its especially large, broad bracts and its clean, bold appearance. The bracts remain white throughout the plant’s display period without the yellowing that affects some white cultivars in warmer indoor settings. Its name suits the plant perfectly — it has a clean, wintry grandeur that makes it one of the most popular white varieties in Northern European markets.
27. Galaxy Red
Galaxy Red combines deep red bracts with a slightly darker, almost dusky undertone that gives it a more complex, layered color than standard reds. The bracts are large and generously sized, creating a full, luxurious appearance even on younger plants. This cultivar was developed by European breeders and has gained significant traction in premium gift plant markets across the UK and Germany.
28. Princettia Hot Pink
Princettia Hot Pink belongs to a specialized series of poinsettias developed in Japan specifically for Asian markets, though it has since found global success. The bracts are smaller and more numerous than typical poinsettias, giving the plant a delicate, floriferous look more reminiscent of a flowering shrub than a traditional holiday plant. The vivid hot pink color is consistent and long-lasting, making it a favorite in contemporary floral design.
29. Princettia Pale Pink
The pale pink variation of the Princettia series offers all the delicate, multi-bracted charm of the series in a soft, blush tone. The diminutive bracts cluster together densely, creating a cloud-like effect across the top of the plant. It has become particularly popular in Japan and South Korea, where understated, miniature plant forms are especially prized in interior design.
30. Marble Pink
Marble Pink features a lovely combination of blush pink and creamy white marbling across medium-sized bracts, creating a soft, romantic appearance. Like other marbled cultivars, no two bracts are identical in their pattern, which gives each plant a uniquely artistic quality. It is well-suited to Valentine’s Day displays and bridal events, in addition to the traditional holiday season.
31. Ruby Frost
Ruby Frost is a striking cultivar that combines deep ruby-red bracts with subtle pale frosting at the margins and tips, as though lightly dusted with snow. The effect is elegant and unusual, giving the plant a wintry sparkle without the use of artificial glitter treatments. It is a relatively new cultivar and has quickly attracted attention among collectors and specialty plant enthusiasts.
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32. Sonora Burgundy
Sonora Burgundy from the reliable Sonora series offers deep, wine-red bracts with strong stems and a full, rounded plant habit. The Sonora series as a whole is known for its commercial reliability and consistent performance across different greenhouse conditions. The burgundy form is particularly sought after for its sophisticated color, which pairs beautifully with gold and silver holiday accessories.
33. Viking Red
Viking Red is a robust, vigorous cultivar with large, broad red bracts and an exceptionally sturdy stem structure that holds up well during transport and retail handling. It was developed with commercial durability in mind and has become a staple of mass-market holiday plant sales in Europe and North America. Despite its utilitarian origins, it is genuinely beautiful, with rich, saturated color and a commanding presence.
34. Freedom Marble
Freedom Marble is a bicolor form from the highly successful Freedom series, combining creamy white bracts with delicate pink and rose marbling. The Freedom series accounts for a significant share of global poinsettia production, and this marbled variation has helped extend the series’ appeal to buyers seeking something beyond solid colors. Its soft, mixed-tone appearance works well in a range of holiday and non-holiday decorative settings.
35. Festival Red
Festival Red is a cheerful, bright-toned cultivar with medium to large red bracts and a naturally bushy, full growth habit. It is particularly popular in Latin American markets, where poinsettias — known locally as La Flor de la Nochebuena (the Christmas Eve flower) — carry deep cultural and religious significance. Mexico remains the world’s largest poinsettia producer, with the plant deeply embedded in both its horticultural economy and its festive traditions.
36. Kris Kringle
Kris Kringle is a novelty cultivar featuring bright red bracts with unusual, slightly twisted and crinkled surfaces that give the plant a textural interest rarely seen in standard smooth-bracted types. The ruffled quality of the bracts catches light differently at different angles, adding depth and visual interest. It is particularly popular as a premium gift plant and conversation piece during the holiday season.
37. White Glitter
White Glitter is a commercially produced novelty variety in which the white bracts are treated with biodegradable glitter at the point of sale, giving them a festive, sparkling appearance under holiday lighting. While the glitter itself is an applied treatment rather than a natural characteristic, the underlying plant has attractive, large white bracts that remain appealing even after the glitter fades. Novelty poinsettias like this one have become a fast-growing segment of the holiday plant market.
38. Tapestry
Tapestry is a multi-toned cultivar in which individual plants can display bracts ranging from deep pink to soft rose to nearly white on the same specimen, creating a layered, blended effect across the canopy. The color variation arises from differences in bract maturity, with older bracts fading to lighter tones while newer ones emerge in deeper shades. The result is a living, evolving display that changes subtly over the course of the season.
39. Christmas Beauty Marble
Christmas Beauty Marble is part of a reliable European cultivar series known for excellent post-harvest performance. This particular form features soft pink and white marbled bracts with a gentle, painterly quality, carried on a well-branched plant with dark, glossy green foliage. The Christmas Beauty series as a whole is praised for its consistent quality and reliable color development across varying light conditions.
40. Infinity Red
Infinity Red rounds out this list as one of the newest and most technically advanced poinsettia cultivars, developed using precision breeding techniques to produce an exceptionally long-lasting plant with deep, saturated red bracts that resist fading and leaf drop far longer than most traditional varieties. It represents the cutting edge of poinsettia breeding and is designed to remain attractive from the first weeks of November well into January — a significant commercial advantage in a market where post-purchase longevity is increasingly valued by consumers.