Bougainvillea are also known as Bugambilia (Mexico), Napoleón (Honduras), veranera (Colombia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama), trinitaria (Colombia, Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic & Venezuela), Santa Rita (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), Bonggang Villa (Philippines) or papelillo (northern Peru).
The vine species grow anywhere from 1 to 12 m tall, scrambling over other plants with their spiky thorns. The thorns are tipped with a black, waxy substance. They are evergreen where rainfall occurs all year, or deciduous if there is a dry season. The leaves are alternate, simple ovate-acuminate, 4–13 cm long and 2–6 cm broad. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colours associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow.
Bougainvillea glabra is sometimes referred to as "paper flower" because the bracts are thin and papery. The species here illustrated is Bougainvillea spectabilis. The first European to describe these plants was Philibert Commerçon, a botanist accompanying French Navy admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville (hence the generic name), during his voyage of circumnavigation, and first published for him by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789. It is possible that the first European to observe these plants was Jeanne Baré, Commerçon's lover and assistant whom he sneaked on board (despite regulations) disguised as a man (and who thus became the first woman to circumnavigate the globe).
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Great shot with vibrant colours!
ReplyDeleteWonderful vibrant purple. I did not realize that the color actually comes from the leaves surrounding the flower and not the flower itself.
ReplyDeleteWow! So beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI love this beautiful color !!
ReplyDeleteGreetings
Stunning macro!
ReplyDeleteOlá Nick, passei por aqui para agradecer sua doce presença
ReplyDeleteno meu cantinho.
Imagem lindíssima...perfeição divina!
Obrigada !!!
Abraços, Marie.
Fabulous vibrant color. Reminds me of a purple poinsettia.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great color!
ReplyDeleteI'm not lucky with this flowers, they always die ;-(
They remember me holidays on Menorca... so beautiful... Thanks for showing
ReplyDeleteI've heard of bougainvillea many times, but I've never had a close look at the flower. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photo.
ReplyDeletebougainvilla is common for California, but not this color! Beautiful and regal!
ReplyDeleteAh, what a gorgeous flower! If only I could grow these where I live!
ReplyDeleteLovely colour and beautiful flower.
ReplyDeleteFlower pops off the page. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWow what a beautiful flower.....
ReplyDeletewith an amazing colour.....
Beautiful flower and color :-)
ReplyDeleteWow, what beautifully bright bracts!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting,wonderfull bougainvillier, younger when i live in africa, we have bougainvillier of this color around the house.
ReplyDeletehttp://louisette.eklablog.com blog mu city Mons in Belgium
bougainvilleas are very common plants in South Africa...yet, I never get tired of seeing them!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI love these flowers and I'm happy if I can see a lot of they at Lanzarote!
I wish you a nice and sunny weekend,
moni
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Thank you, i love this Beautiful Flowers Pictures,
ReplyDelete