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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.)
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{{Taxobox
{{Taxobox
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'''Bougainvillea''' is a genus of [[flowering plant]]s 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.
'''Bougainvillea''' is a genus of [[flowering plant]]s 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, [[vine]]s 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 [[leaf|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 [[bract]]s 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]].
They are thorny, woody, [[vine]]s 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 [[leaf|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 [[bract]]s 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 [[aphid]]s. The [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species also use them as food plants, for example the [[Giant Leopard Moth]].
Bougainvillea are relatively pest-free plants, but may suffer from worms and [[aphid]]s. The [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species also use them as food plants, for example the [[Giant Leopard Moth]].