Poinsettia, the bright red flower that is usually associated with the holiday season, is causing controversy as people learn about the origin of its name. According to the Associated Press , the plant is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, a slaveholder from the 1800s who was also part of an army that removed Native Americans from their land. Historian Lindsay Schakenbach Regele, author of Flowers, Guns and Money , wrote about how Poinsett terrorized Native Americans. “Because Poinsett belonged to learned societies, contributed to botanists’ collections, and purchased art from Europe, he could more readily justify the expulsion of Natives from their homes,” Regele wrote.