Unrooted cuttings of ‘Prestige Red’ and ‘White Star’ poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch) were stored in a box at 10 °C for 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 d to simulate shipping and holding. Visual root ratings decreased following ≥4 d of storage but did not differ from the non-stored cuttings. Root rating of ‘White Star’ was 0.5 higher and cuttings maintained higher fructose and glucose concentrations compared to ‘Prestige Red’. Glucose (r² = 0.4824) followed by fructose plus glucose (r² = 0.4222) were the best predictors of rooting. Carbohydrate maintenance may be an indicator of storage tolerant and better-rooting cultivars.