Bougainvillea
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Read about Bougainvillea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Bougainvillea (De Bougainville, 1729-1811, a French navigator). Nyctaginaceae. South American shrubs, often climbers, with very gaudy large bracts, grown under glass, and as arbor plants South. Leaves alternate, petioled, entire: fls. small and inconspicuous, tubular, the margin 5-6-lobed; stamens, 7-8, on unequal capillary filaments; ovary stipitate. The small and inconspicuous fls. are inclosed with large and showy magenta-purple or red bracts that constitute the decorative value of the plants. Two more or less scandent species are chiefly known in cult. Less than a dozen recognized species. The bougainvilleas have been much grown of late as pot-plants. The young stock (started from cuttings) may be grown in the field and be lifted in early autumn; this will produce plants for spring bloom but not for early flowering. For earlier bloom, the plants may be carried through the summer in pots. Half-ripened or old wood, in 6- to 12-inch lengths, may be used for cuttings in April to June. The subsequent culture is simple. For glasshouse .work the plants may be kept rut back and the branches trained. In California, Florida, and other southern regions, bougainvilleas are plentifully used as porch-covers, where they make a most brilliant show. Not hardy. The cultural requirements of the bougainvilleas are of the easiest. They thrive in almost any kind of soil and should be grown in full sunshine. B. glabra and its varieties are the best for ordinary purposes, as they bloom when small, and thrive readily in a cool greenhouse or in the open where free from frost. B. spectabilis and its var. lateritia require more tropical conditions and reach large dimensions. All are readily propagated, and will root in a few weeks from cuttings of the young shoots a few inches in length and placed in sandy soil in bottom heat and moisture at a temperature of 65° or 70° F. B. glabra and its varieties make most excellent pot-plants, either as large or small specimens. They are also valuable for summer bedding. All the kinds make very desirable subjects for clothing verandas, arches and pergolas or for planting at the base of trees (where the climate is suitable for outdoor culture), which they will rapidly clothe in a mass of most beautiful and highly colored flower-bracts. Another and most effective purpose to which these plants can be put is that of hedge or fence plants in tropical and subtropical countries. They stand drought exceedingly well and may be pruned with impunity. (C. P. Raffill.) B. aurantiaca. Hort.— B. Lindleyana. — B. formosa. Bull. Semi-scandent, free- flowering: purplish mauve: under comparatively cool treatment said to be well adapted for decoration of warm greenhouses and conservatories. Brazil. — -B. Lindleyana. Hort. Hairy. climbing, with strong curved spines : lvs. obovate- rounded, acute, slightly undulate, very hirsute: bracts elliptic. short - acuminate. cinnabar- color. — B. refulgens, Bull. Lvs. pubescent: racemes long and drooping, and bracts purple. Brazil. Apparently a less valuable and shy-flowering form of B. spectabilis.
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 Bougainvillea spectabilis | ||||||||||||
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| Selected species: Bougainvillea buttiana |
Bougainvillea is a genus of flowering plants native to South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina (Chubut Province). Different authors accept between four and 18 species in the genus. The name comes from Louis Antoine de Bougainville, an admiral in the French Navy who discovered the plant in Brazil in 1768.
They are thorny, woody, vines growing anywhere from 1-12 meters tall, scrambling over other plants with their hooked thorns. The thorns are tipped with a black, waxy substance that is easily left in the flesh of an unsuspecting victim. 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 colors 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 fruit is a narrow five-lobed achene.
Bougainvillea are relatively pest-free plants, but may suffer from worms and aphids. The larvae of some Lepidoptera species also use them as food plants, for example the Giant Leopard Moth.
Cultivation and uses
Bougainvilleas are popular ornamental plants in most areas with warm climates, including Indonesia, India, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, the Mediterranean region, the Caribbean, Mexico, Panama, South Africa, and the United States in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, and southern Texas.
Numerous cultivars and hybrids have been selected, including nearly thornless shrubs. Some Bougainvillea cultivars are sterile, and are propagated from cuttings.
Bougainvillea are rapid growing and flower all year in warm climates, especially when pinched or pruned. They grow best in moist fertile soil. Bloom cycles are typically four to six weeks. Bougainvillea grow best in very bright full sun and with frequent fertilization, but the plant requires little water to flower. As indoor houseplants in temperate regions, they can be kept small by bonsai techniques. If overwatered, Bougainvillea will not flower and may lose leaves or wilt, or even die from root decay.
Symbolism
Various species of bougainvillea are the official flowers of the island of Grenada, the island of Guam, of Lienchiang and Pingtung Counties in Taiwan; Ipoh, Malaysia[1]; and of the cities of Tagbilaran, Philippines; Camarillo, California; Laguna Niguel, California; and San Clemente, California.
References and external links
- Germplasm Resources Information Network: Bougainvillea
- Bougainvillea spinosa in Argentina (in Spanish)
- Flora Brasiliensis: Bougainvillea (in Portuguese)
- Bougainvillea Common Pests and Diseases
Purple bougainvillea
Yellow bougainvillea
Climbing bougainvillea
Bougainvillea is a common sight along Interstate overpasses in San Diego, California
九重葛
Three colors of bougainvillea adorn a fence in Los Angeles
