Bougainvillea: Year Round Ornamental Plant

 Bougainvillea: Year Round Ornamental Plant 

 

“The bougainvillea is the most extravagantly beautiful 

flowering plant in all of nature.” – Christopher Turner

Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Red and white Bougainvillea lend quaintness to cottage living. 

Courtesy of Dr Cynthia Valencia.  San Vicente, Ilocos Sur. 

The bougainvillea is dubbed "flowering machine," it flowers throughout 

the year, bursting into full bloom in the entire summer. Bougainvillea 

in full bloom along the fence of Rojas-Lazo residence in San Vicente 

Ilocos Sur. 

Bougainvillea spectabilis in bloom across the fence of San Vicente Botanical 

Garden,  San Vicente, Ilocos Sur.  Photos taken by the author, January 15, 2023 

Bougainvillea is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the four o' clock family, Nyctaginaceae. It is native to eastern South America, found from Brazil, west to Peru, and south to southern Argentina. Different authors accept from 4 to 22 species in the genus. The first species recorded in the Philippines was Bougainvillea spectabilis. The other species, B. glabra and B. peruviana were introduced much later. Grenada's national flower is the Bougainvillea.

Botanically speaking, the flowers of bougainvillea are not true flowers in the sense that they do not have petals and other floral parts typical of a true flower.  The colored petals are modified leaves, specialized to attract bees, butterflies - including humans - to pollinate and fertilize the tiny true flowers centrally located, which seldom develop seeds. Bougainvillea is mainly propagated by cuttings. 

By the way,  bougainvillea is named after a person. It was first discovered by the French botanist Philibert Commerson in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the 1760s. The name Bougainvaillea was named after his friend sailor Louis de Bougainville. ~