In the spirit of the season, here are some fun facts about some of the decorative plants you may be seeing.

According to the American Christmas Tree Association, approximately 25-30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. every year. And there are about 350 million trees growing on Christmas tree farms across the country. For every one tree that’s harvested, two to three seedlings are planted the following spring.

The National FFA Association writes that the bright, colorful part of a poinsettia plant isn’t, in fact, a flower. It’s a modified leaf called a bract. But, the plant does have flowers - they are the small, yellow part in the center of the bracts. It’s celebrated on December 12, which is National Poinsettia Day. The date marks the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, the South Carolina congressman credited with bringing the poinsettia to the country from its native home of Mexico.

According to the National Wildlife Foundation, mistletoe got its name from the fact that it tends to grow where birds leave droppings. Ancient Anglo-Saxons noticed this and named it using words that derived from the words meaning dung and twig. Quite literally, the name means “dung-on-a-twig.” Think about that next time you get ready for a smooch under the festive green plant.