The species grow 1 to 12 metres (3 to 39 ft) tall, scrambling over other plants with their spiky thorns. They areevergreen where rainfall occurs all year, ordeciduous if there is adry season. Theleaves are alternate, simple ovate-acuminate, 4–13 cm (1.6–5.1 in) long and 2–6 cm (0.79–2.4 in) broad. The actualflower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or sixbracts with the bright colours associated with the plant, including pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow.Bougainvillea glabra is sometimes called "paper flower" because its bracts are thin and papery. Thefruit is a narrow five-lobedachene.
Twenty years after Commerçon's description, it was first published as 'Buginvillæa' inGenera Plantarum byA. L. de Jussieu in 1789.[4] The genus was subsequently spelled in several ways until it was finally established as "Bougainvillea" in theIndex Kewensis in the 1930s. Originally,B. spectabilis andB. glabra were undifferentiated until the mid-1980s when botanists classified them as distinct species. In the early 19th century, these two species were the first to be introduced into Europe, and soon nurseries in France and Britain sold these varieties in Australia and throughout their former colonies. Meanwhile,Kew Gardens distributed plants it had propagated to British colonies throughout the world. Soon thereafter, a crimson specimen in Cartagena, Colombia was added to the genus descriptions. Originally thought to be a distinct species, it was namedB. buttiana in honour of the European who first encountered it. However, later studies classified it as a natural hybrid of a variety ofB. glabra and possiblyB. peruviana—a "local pink bougainvillea" from Peru. Natural hybrids were soon found to be common occurrences all over the world. For instance, around the 1930s, when the three species were grown together, many hybrid crosses were produced almost spontaneously in East Africa, India, the Canary Islands, Australia, North America, and the Philippines.[citation needed]
Although it is frost-sensitive and hardy in USDAHardiness Zones 9b and 10, bougainvillea can be used as a houseplant or hanging basket in cooler climates. In the landscape, it makes an excellent hot season plant, and its drought tolerance makes it ideal for warm climates year-round. Its high salt tolerance makes it a natural choice for colour in coastal regions. It can be pruned into a standard, but is also grown along fence lines, on walls, in containers and hanging baskets, and as a hedge or an accent plant. Its long arching thorny branches bear heart-shaped leaves and masses of papery bracts in white, pink, orange, purple, and burgundy. Many cultivars, including double-flowered and variegated, are available.[citation needed]
Many bougainvillea today are the result of interbreeding among only three out of the eighteen South American species recognised by botanists. There are over 300 varieties of bougainvillea. Because many of the hybrids have been crossed over several generations, it is difficult to identify their respective origins. Natural mutations seem to occur spontaneously throughout the world; wherever large numbers of plants are being produced,bud-sports will occur. This had led to multiple names for the same cultivar (or variety) and has added to the confusion over the names of bougainvillea cultivars.[citation needed]
The growth rate of bougainvillea varies from slow to rapid, depending on the variety. They tend to flower all year round in equatorial regions. Elsewhere, they are seasonal, with bloom cycles typically four to six weeks. Bougainvillea grow best in dry soil, in very bright full sun and with frequent fertilisation; but they require little water once established, and in fact will not flourish if over-watered. They can be easily propagated via tip cuttings.[7]
Bougainvillea is also a very attractive genus for Bonsai enthusiasts, due to their ease of training and their radiant flowering during the spring.[8] They can be kept as indoorhouseplants in temperate regions and kept small bybonsai techniques.
Native to South America, bougainvillea carry several names in the different regions where they are present. Apart fromRioplatense Spanishsanta-rita,Colombian Spanishveranera,Peruvian Spanishpapelillo,Caribbean Spanishtrinitaria, it may be variously namedprimavera,três-marias,sempre-lustrosa,santa-rita,ceboleiro,roseiro,roseta,riso,pataguinha,pau-de-roseira andflor-de-papel inBrazilian Portuguese. Nevertheless,buganvília[buɡɐ̃ˈviʎ̟ɐ] in Portuguese andbuganvilia[buɣamˈbilja] in Spanish are the most common names accepted by people of the regions where these languages are spoken but it is an introduced plant.[citation needed]
As of 2010,Bougainvillea is generally placed in theBougainvilleeae tribe (containing three genera) of theNyctaginaceae family withPisonieae being a sister tribe (containing four genera):
^ab"Genus:Bougainvillea Comm. ex Juss".Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2010-07-07. Retrieved2010-12-14.
^Roskov Y., Ower G., Orrell T., Nicolson D., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., DeWalt R.E., Decock W., van Nieukerken E.J., Penev L. (eds.) (2020). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life, 2020-12-01. Digital resource at www.catalogueoflife.org. Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. ISSN 2405-8858.
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