Preston — Production manager Karen Cordon was gathering poinsettias to fill several church orders Tuesday at Hart's Greenhouse & Garden Center.

The colored parts of the plants that most people think of as flowers are actually colored bracts, or modified leaves, according to the University of Illinois' poinsettia page. The ones with festive red and white leaves since have become popular decorations for Christmas but there are over 100 different varieties available today, including pink, burgundy, marbled and speckled ones.

The plants originally are from Mexico and were first imported in the 19th century by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico.