These tall bougainvillea plants are a sight to behold, says STOMPer dask299, who sent in pictures of the beautiful blooms.
This STOMPer says:
"These beautiful blooms were seen at West Coast Ferry Road.
"View it before it withers up."
I didn't know bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spp.) could grow to such heights.
Bougainvillea glabra growing as a tree, Brazil;
(Photo by mauroguanandi)
Bougainvillea are native to South America, and several species have become very popular as ornamental plants; among the more popular species are Bougainvillea spectabilis and Bougainvillea glabra. These species have also been crossed with other bougainvillea species to create hybrid varieties.
Bougainvillea spectabilis;
(Photo by =Sunjammer=)
Bougainvillea glabra growing as a roadside ornamental, Malaysia;
(Photo by ilhamazahar)
Part of the popularity of bougainvillea stems from its versatility; it can be grown as a bush or small shrub, as a creeping vine, or as we've seen here, it can be allowed to turn into a magnificent tree. Bougainvillea can form hedges, it can be coaxed into climbing walls and trellises, it can even be grown as bonsai.
Bougainvillea glabra growing as bonsai;
(Photo by cliff1066™)
Bougainvillea have adapted extremely well to our climate, and can be considered to be very hardy plants, another factor which has led to their great popularity. They are also among the few plants that will still flower during dry periods, hence adding a splash of brilliant colour to our Garden City.
(Photo by -nathan)
As most of us should have learned in primary school, the flowers of bougainvillea are actually very small and inconspicuous; the colourful 'petals' that we see are actually bracts or modified leaves. These bracts come in many different colours, depending on the variety or species being grown; pink, purple, magenta, red, yellow, orange and white are all colours that can be found in bougainvillea bracts.
Bougainvillea glabra, Singapore;
(Photo by actjin)
Bougainvillea spectabilis, Washington;
(Photo by nordique)
