Poinsettia cyathophora, commonly known as the wild poinsettia or fire-on-the-mountain, is a native North American wildflower that typically grows as an annual herb reaching about 1 to 3 feet in height and spreading approximately 1 to 2 feet wide, forming a loose, upright, and freely branching habit. Its slender green to reddish stems may extend up to 36 inches long and often branch repeatedly, giving the plant a somewhat airy appearance. The leaves are variable in shape but are generally lanceolate to ovate, measuring about 2 to 4 inches long and 0.5 to 1.5 inches wide, arranged alternately along the stems, with smooth to slightly undulating margins. Near the upper portions of the plant, the leaves transition into brightly colored bracts, typically 1 to 2 inches long and wide, which display vivid red, orange, or sometimes cream and green variegation, creating the illusion of showy flowers. The true flowers are the small cyathia clustered at the center of these bracts, each usually less than 0.25 inch across. After pollination, the plant produces small, three-lobed seed capsules measuring roughly 0.2 to 0.3 inches in diameter, which dry and split open to disperse seeds. Its root system is relatively shallow but can penetrate several inches into the soil, allowing it to thrive in prairies, roadsides, open woodlands, and other disturbed sites. Its modest size, colorful bracts, and measured proportions make it a distinctive and easily recognizable native wildflower.