Christmas Flowers: Names and Meanings

Quick Answer

What is the Christmas flower? The poinsettia, the red-leaved plant from Mexico that reads as joy, goodwill and celebration. Ask a florist anywhere in the United States and that is the answer. Behind it stands a short list of traditional Christmas flowers, amaryllis for strength, the Christmas rose for purity, holly for protection, mistletoe for love and the Christmas cactus for its December bloom, plus the two florists add: roses for love and white orchids for purity.

I am Mariia Berezovska, Lead Florist at Casa Dei Fiori in Beverly Hills. December is the month clients ask me about meaning more than any other.

What follows are the Christmas flower names worth knowing, what each stands for, which ones come as cut stems, and how to send them in Los Angeles.

 

 

What Is the Christmas Flower?

What is the Christmas flower? The poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, native to Mexico and Central America. The Aztecs knew it as cuetlaxochitl, and Franciscan friars in Mexico brought it into their Christmas celebrations, which is why Mexico still calls it La Flor de Nochebuena, the Christmas Eve flower.

The poinsettia Christmas flower tradition crossed the border in the 1820s, when Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US minister to Mexico, sent plants north. The name followed him. The red is not a petal: the colored parts are bracts, modified leaves, and the true flowers are the small yellow buds at the center.

So what is the poinsettia meaning? Joy, goodwill and celebration. In Christian tradition the star-shaped layout of the bracts is said to stand for the Star of Bethlehem, and white poinsettias read as purity. Mexico also tells the legend of Pepita, a poor girl whose roadside weeds turned red at the altar. Poinsettia symbolism, then, is less about romance and more about the season itself.

Poinsettia means:

• Joy, goodwill and celebration
• The Star of Bethlehem, in Christian tradition
• Purity, in the white varieties

Best for:

• A doorway, a mantel or a reception desk
• Hosts who want the classic Christmas plant
• Anyone who asks which flower means Christmas

Traditional Christmas Flowers and Their Meanings

Six traditional Christmas flowers carry the holiday: poinsettia, amaryllis, Christmas rose, holly, mistletoe and Christmas cactus. Florists add two more in December, red roses and white orchids. Each of these Christmas flower names carries a meaning and a job, on a door, in a vase or on the table.

Poinsettia. Joy, goodwill and celebration, with the Star of Bethlehem reading in Christian tradition. The plant of the season, kept in its pot.

Amaryllis. The amaryllis meaning is strength and determination on both lists we checked, with pride added on one. The Victorians tied that reading to the tall, sturdy stem. The Greek legend behind the amaryllis flower meaning is darker: a shepherdess named Amaryllis pierced her own heart for thirty nights to win the shepherd Alteo, and a red flower grew where her blood fell.

Christmas rose. A hellebore, Helleborus niger, not a rose at all, and a winter bloomer. The medieval legend has a shepherd girl, Madelon, weeping because she has no gift for the Nativity, and a white flower coming up through the snow where her tears fell. One telling reads it as purity.

Holly. The holly meaning runs older than the holiday: a winter solstice plant brought indoors for protection against evil spirits in Celtic and Anglo-Saxon custom. In Christian tradition the spiny leaves came to stand for the crown of thorns.

Mistletoe. Mistletoe stands for love. The mistletoe meaning starts in Norse myth: the goddess Frigg declared it a symbol of love after her son Baldur was killed by a mistletoe dart and restored. Druids read it as immortality, since it fruits in winter.

Christmas cactus. The plainest story here. The Christmas cactus meaning comes from where it grows and when it blooms: it comes from the coastal mountains of southeastern Brazil and is named for when it flowers in the Northern Hemisphere, not for a legend. Growers time it to bloom for the holidays.

Red roses. Love, and at Christmas one Los Angeles florist reads them as love and festivity, which is why they sit in so many holiday vases.

White orchids. Purity and elegance, the reading our own orchid guide gives, with innocence added by one orchid grower. They are the cool note in a warm season, and they anchor our Christmas centerpiece with orchids and roses, Frozen, alongside amaranthus and noble fir.

Traditional Christmas flowers mean:

• Joy, goodwill and celebration, in poinsettia
• Strength, in amaryllis
• Purity, in white orchids and, by legend, the Christmas rose
• Protection and love, in holly and mistletoe

Best for:

• A gift that comes with a story to tell
• Holiday tables that mix cut stems and greenery
• Doorways and mantels, with holly and mistletoe

 

Red Christmas Flowers

Red is the Christmas color most likely because of what grows in winter. No one has settled the question, but the most common explanation ties red and green to holly, red berries against evergreen leaves, used as winter decoration before the holiday existed. A red Christmas flower on the table carries that same contrast against the fir.

The Christmas red flower everyone pictures is the poinsettia, but it is not the one that goes in a vase. For cut stems, December gives you amaryllis at its winter peak, plus red roses and red carnations, which run all year. The first ranunculus of the season return to market in winter rather than on a schedule.

Red carries its own message in a vase. Red flowers mean love, passion and romantic desire, so the same red reads one way to a partner and another to a host, mostly by what else is in the vase. For how each shade reads, see our guide to what red flowers mean. Keep your Christmas flowers red and white if the gift is for a household, and red alone when the message is romantic.

Red Christmas flowers mean:

• Love, in red roses and carnations
• Strength, in red amaryllis
• Joy, goodwill and celebration, in red poinsettia

Best for:

• Holiday tables set against green fir
• A romantic Christmas gift in roses
• A statement stem for the host, in amaryllis

 

Which Christmas Flowers Work in a Bouquet

Not every one of the Christmas flower names above comes as a cut stem, and that is the first thing a florist checks. Amaryllis, roses, orchids, ranunculus and the Christmas rose all travel as cut flowers and go into a vase. Poinsettia and the Christmas cactus are sold as potted plants, so they decorate a room rather than a bouquet.

Among the traditional Christmas flowers, amaryllis, hellebore, ranunculus, carnations and orchids are special orders for us in December, confirmed when you order, and the same goes for potted poinsettia and Christmas cactus. Poinsettia is not dangerous to people or pets despite the old warning, though eating it can upset a stomach, so it stays on the mantel and out of the vase.

What we build in December is a mix: orchids and roses on noble fir, with amaranthus for the trailing line. One reviewer, Lina York, wrote that our flowers were "premium quality and very fresh." Seasonal stems are confirmed when you order, and if one is unavailable we tell you about the substitution before the arrangement is built.

Browse our Christmas flower arrangements for what is in the studio this season, and for the table itself, see our guide to Christmas centerpiece ideas.

 

Frozen centerpiece

 

Sending Christmas Flowers in Los Angeles

Tell us your date when you order, and earlier for a specific flower, since the winter stems are special orders. A Christmas bouquet or a table piece can be customized by flower, color, height and container. Christmas flower delivery in Los Angeles runs same-day. The areas are Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Century City, Santa Monica, Hollywood, the Hollywood Hills, DTLA, Marina Del Rey, Pasadena and Burbank. If nobody is home the courier calls or texts the recipient. For December 24 and December 25, ask when you order.

Sending flowers for the holidays? Tell us who they are for and we will build the right mix of roses, orchids and seasonal stems. Browse our Christmas flower arrangements, call (424) 303-2291, or order Los Angeles flower delivery online.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the official Christmas flower?

There is no official one. The poinsettia is the flower the United States treats as the Christmas flower. A US diplomat brought it north from Mexico in the 1820s, and the name followed him.

What is the traditional Christmas flower?

The poinsettia, with amaryllis, the Christmas rose, holly, mistletoe and the Christmas cactus around it. Red roses and white orchids are the florist's additions.

What is a Christmas flower besides poinsettia?

Amaryllis is the closest second, a tall red winter bloom. The Christmas rose and the Christmas cactus are the other two with the holiday in their name.

What does an amaryllis flower symbolize?

Strength and determination on both lists we checked, with pride added on one. The Victorians tied the reading to its tall, sturdy stem, and the Greek legend has a shepherdess winning her love with a red flower grown from her own blood.

What does the poinsettia symbolize?

Joy, goodwill and celebration. In Christian tradition the star-shaped bracts are said to stand for the Star of Bethlehem, and the white varieties read as purity.

What red flowers are used for Christmas?

Poinsettia on the mantel, and amaryllis, red roses, red carnations and early ranunculus in the vase.

Do you deliver Christmas flowers in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles?

Yes. Same-day delivery covers Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Century City, Santa Monica, Hollywood, the Hollywood Hills, DTLA, Marina Del Rey, Pasadena and Burbank. Casa Dei Fiori is at 9895 S Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.