Public Service Announcement

As you may know, there is a fair number of botanical names which are formed from the name of a person, often a botanist, with the letters "-ia" appended: freesia, zinnia, copernicia, and so on.

One of these is the Christmas staple known as the poinsettia, which is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, who introduced the plant into the US.

Please note that the plant's name is "poinsettia", not, as it is nearly always pronounced, "poinsetta", any more than a begonia is called a "begona" or magnolia "magnola".

Thank you for your attention to this matter.