Bract: A leaflike organ subtending an inflorescence. Bracts are sometimes brightly coloured and petal-like, as in poinsettia (Eurphorbia pulcherrima)*
Poinsettias are grown for their bright red bracts which surround their small flowers.
*Blackmore, S., Tootill, E. (eds.) (1984). The Penguin dictionary of botany. London: Penguin.
