Bougainvillea glabra
A burst of color on a rough, thorny trunk — Bougainvillea is one of the most spectacular bonsai species when in bract.
What makes it unique. What appears to be its flowers is not. The magnificent bright pink, red, orange, purple, or white bracts that cover the tree for several weeks a year are actually modified leaves — the true flowers, tubular and tiny, hide at the center of these bracts in groups of three. This botanical quirk explains why the bloom lasts so long and why the tree can rebloom several times in a season when conditions are right.
Origin. Native to tropical South America, primarily Brazil, Bougainvillea glabra grows naturally in hot, sunny environments with marked dry seasons. Its name honors Louis Antoine de Bougainville, a French navigator whose botanical expedition brought the plant to Europe in the late 18th century. Several species and countless hybrids exist — B. glabra is the most widely used in bonsai for its vigor, suitable bract size, and generous rebloom.
A generous but demanding bonsai. Bougainvillea rewards good cultivation generously: a trunk that thickens quickly, bark that cracks and colors with age, repeated flowering when the tree is controlled-stressed. In return, it does not tolerate frost, demands intense sun to bloom, and may respond to a change in conditions with sudden defoliation. It is a tree for attentive practitioners — neither a pure beginner's tree nor one for experts only.
A burst of color on a rough, thorny trunk — Bougainvillea is one of the most spectacular bonsai species when in bract.
What makes it unique. What appears to be its flowers is not. The magnificent bright pink, red, orange, purple, or white bracts that cover the tree for several weeks a year are actually modified leaves — the true flowers, tubular and tiny, hide at the center of these bracts in groups of three. This botanical quirk explains why the bloom lasts so long and why the tree can rebloom several times in a season when conditions are right.
Origin. Native to tropical South America, primarily Brazil, Bougainvillea glabra grows naturally in hot, sunny environments with marked dry seasons. Its name honors Louis Antoine de Bougainville, a French navigator whose botanical expedition brought the plant to Europe in the late 18th century. Several species and countless hybrids exist — B. glabra is the most widely used in bonsai for its vigor, suitable bract size, and generous rebloom.
A generous but demanding bonsai. Bougainvillea rewards good cultivation generously: a trunk that thickens quickly, bark that cracks and colors with age, repeated flowering when the tree is controlled-stressed. In return, it does not tolerate frost, demands intense sun to bloom, and may respond to a change in conditions with sudden defoliation. It is a tree for attentive practitioners — neither a pure beginner's tree nor one for experts only.