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The plant is named after French
navigator de Bougainvillaea who carried it to in the ship to fame. It
belongs to Four-Q-Clock family (Nyctaginaceae). The genous
bougainvillaea, contains several species but only three are important.
It is an ornamental climber. It also called paper flower.
Bougainvillaea (pukanawila) is a
woody vine. It is common both in tropical and sub-tropical regions of
the world. Usually it needs pruning to give a shape of hedge, small
tree, shrub, with single trunk which can be go up to 20 feet diameter.
After pruning it produces heavy flowers. Although flowers pattern is
affected with day length and temperature. The plant produces flowers,
only at temperature 21 - 30°C.
The common bougainvillaea found
in the Philippines, Kenya, tropical and sub-tropical regions is
called bougainvillaea spectabilis (purple colour flower) having two
variant Bougainvillaea glabra having large magenta or purple bract and
Bougainvillaea Peruviana bracket with lavender to rosy-round purple
bracts. |
