Bougainvillea glabra, the lesser bougainvillea or paperflower, is the most common species of bougainvillea used for bonsai. The epithet ‘glabra’ comes from Latin and means “bald”.
Contents
- 1 Description
- 2 Cultivation
- 3 Products
- 3.1 9GreenBox - Royal Purple Bougainvillea Plant -Indoors/Out or Bonsai - 4" Pot
- 3.2 Fertilome (10505) Bougainvillea & Flowering Vine Food 17-7-10 (4 lbs.)
- 3.3 Bonsai Tree Chinese Wisteria Tree Seeds, 10 Pack - Highly Prized Flowering Bonsai, Wisteria sinensis - 10 Seeds to Grow
- 3.4 Red Bougainvillea spectabilis Live Plant Seedlings 5-8 Inch Tall, Double Petal, Perfect for Home & Garden Decor(No Pot)
- 3.5 Colorful Bougainvillea Spectabilis Live Plant Seedlings 5-8 Inch Double Petal, Perfect for Home & Garden Decor(No Pot)
- 3.6 Double Petal Yellow Bougainvillea Spectabilis Live Plant Seedlings 5-8 inch Tall, Perfect for Home & Garden Decor
- 3.7 Brussel's Live Satsuki Azalea Outdoor Bonsai Tree - 5 Years Old; 6" to 8" Tall with Decorative Container
- 3.8 Bougainvillea Plants Live - 8inch Tall Seedling Small Leaf Bougainvillea Flower Vine for Garden Perennial Yards and Home Ornament(No Pot) (Red)
- 3.9 320+ Bougainvillea Seeds for Planting
- 3.10 9GreenBox - Pink and White Kona Bougainvillea - 4'' Pot
Description
It is an evergreen, climbing shrub with thick, thorny stems and drooping branches that are glabrous or sparsely hairy. The leaves have a 0.3 to 1 centimeter long stem. The leaf blade 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 are purple, oblong or elliptical, pointed, 2.5 to 3.5 inches long and about 2 inches wide. They are taller than the flowers. These grow individually in pairs or in groups of three on flower stems about 3.5 millimeters long.
The crown tube is about 2 cm long and has a greenish tint. It is ribbed and points away towards the flower stalk. The tip is lobed five times and forms a short, spread, white or yellowish hem. Six to eight stamens each have stamens that measure 8 to 13 millimeters in length. The ovary is about 2 millimeters long, the stylus 1 millimeter and the scar 2.5 millimeters.
It can grow to 10-12 feet (3.0-3.7m) in height, sometimes reaching 30 ft (9m). Tiny white flowers usually appear in clusters surrounded by colorful papery bracts, hence the name paperflower. The dark green leaves can be up to 4 inches (10 cm) in length and are variable in shape. 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, 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 of the plant’s tender leaves and bracts is used orally to treat gastrointestinal problems (diarrhoea, stomach pain), and respiratory conditions (asthma, bronchitis, catarrh, chest pain, fever, pneumonia, whooping cough).
Last update on 2022-01-29. Price and availability of products may change.