''Bougainvillea glabra'', the lesser bougainvillea or paperflower,Common names for Lesser Bougainvillea (''Bougainvillea glabra'')—Encyclopedia of Life
/ref> is the most common

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

bougainvillea ''Bougainvillea'' ( , ) is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the four o' clock family, Nyctaginaceae. It is native to eastern South America, found from Brazil, west to Peru, and south to southern Argentina. ...

used for

bonsai Bonsai ( ja, 盆栽, , tray planting, ) is the Japanese art of growing and training miniature trees in pots, developed from the traditional Chinese art form of ''penjing''. Unlike ''penjing'', which utilizes traditional techniques to produce ...

. The epithet 'glabra' comes from Latin and means "bald".

Description

It is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

, climbing

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

with thick, thorny stems and drooping branches that are glabrous or sparsely hairy. The leaves have a stem. The

leaf blade A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

is ovate to ovate-lanceolate, pointed or briefly pointed, 5 to 13 centimeters long and 3 to 6 centimeters wide, sparsely fluffy hairy on the underside and bald on the top. The leaf-like

bracts In botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the An ...

are purple, oblong or elliptical, pointed, long and about wide. They tower over the flowers. These grow individually in pairs or in groups of three on flower stems about 3.5 millimeters long. The crown tube is greenish, clearly angled, about 2 centimeters long, sparsely downy hairy, ribbed and points away from the flower stalk. The tip is lobed five times and forms a short, spread, white or yellowish hem. The six to eight stamens have 8 to 13 millimeter long

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s. The

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

is about 2 millimeters long, the stylus 1 millimeter and the scar 2.5 millimeters. It usually grows tall, occasionally up to . Tiny white

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s usually appear in clusters surrounded by colorful papery

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

s, hence the name paperflower. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are dark green, variable in shape, up to long. The flowers are about 0.4 cm in diameter (the pink petal-like structures are not petals, but bracts.)

Cultivation

''B. glabra'' is heat and drought tolerant and frost sensitive. It is easily propagated by cuttings. It needs full sunlight, warm weather and well drained soil to flower well. The species is often used in culture, in areas with frost in glass houses, otherwise outdoors. The similar

Bougainvillea spectabilis ''Bougainvillea spectabilis'', also known as great bougainvillea, is a species of flowering plant. It is native to Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina's Chubut Province. Description ''Bougainvillea spectabilis'' grows as a woody vine or shrub, ...

, which differs from Bougainvillea glabra by the velvety-felty underside of the leaves, is also cultivated, but less frequently.

Uses

Being of medical importance, the

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An inf ...

of the plant's tender leaves and bracts is used orally to treat gastrointestinal problems (diarrhoea, stomach pain), and respiratory conditions (

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

catarrh Catarrh is an exudate of inflamed mucous membranes in one of the airways or cavities of the body, usually with reference to the throat and paranasal sinuses. It can result in a thick exudate of mucus and white blood cells caused by the swelling o ...

chest pain Chest pain is pain or discomfort in the chest, typically the front of the chest. It may be described as sharp, dull, pressure, heaviness or squeezing. Associated symptoms may include pain in the shoulder, arm, upper abdomen, or jaw, along with n ...

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

whooping cough Whooping cough, also known as pertussis or the 100-day cough, is a highly contagious bacterial disease. Initial symptoms are usually similar to those of the common cold with a runny nose, fever, and mild cough, but these are followed by two or ...

).Peter Schönfelder, Ingrid Schönfelder: The cosmos-Canary flora. Over 1000 species and 60 tropical ornamental trees (= Kosmos nature guide ). 3. Edition. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2012, , pp. 288, 289 .

Gallery

Image:BougainvilleaGlabraVine.jpg, Vine Image:Paperflower -- Bougainvillea glabra.jpg, Paperflower—Bougainvillea glabra Image:BougainvilleaGlabraFlowers.jpg, Flowers File:Bougainvillea glabra at Kadavoor.jpg, ''Bougainvillea glabra'' with yellow

s File:B.glabra_flower.jpg, True flower of ''B. glabra'' (in pale yellow) surrounded by bright magenta-colored

s. A wide range of colorations exists. File:Pink paperflowers (Bougainvillea glabra).jpg, Multiple paperflowers on a shrub File:Bougainvillea glabra or paperflower.jpg, Bougainvillea glabra or paperflower, captured in

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

, India.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q159984 Nyctaginaceae Flora of Brazil Garden plants of South America Plants used in bonsai Vines Taxa named by Jacques Denys Choisy

Description

Cultivation

Uses

Gallery

See also

References