It's a Jungle

Look at this display of bougainvillea that totally took over the entire balcony of this large building on Sunset Drive and SW 63 Avenue. Because they are very thorny, I can imagine it will be quite difficult to trim these plants to a more manageable size. Because they are so showy when in bloom, bougainvilleas are popular ornamental plants in most areas with warm climates. Looking closely, you will realize that the actual bougainvillea flower is small and white. Each cluster of three tiny flowers is surrounded by three or six bracts with the bright colors of hues of pink, magenta, purple, red, orange, white, or yellow. The showiness is from the bracts. Bougainvillea glabra is called "bong giay" in Vietnamese, translated as "paper flower" because the bracts are thin and papery.

Bougainvillea Glabra

Bougainvillea is a native of South America from Brazil west to Peru and south to southern Argentina. It is named for Louis Antoine de Bougainville, an admiral in the French Navy who discovered the plant in Brazil in 1768. Bougainvilleas are popular ornamental plants in most areas with warm climates. They flower most heavily in winter and early spring. The colors are found in tones of purple, lavender, carmine, scarlet, red, pink, orange, yellow and white. Some of these colors are seen on this wall in my neighborhood.

In Miami, they are spectacular at this time. It's a big chore for me to trim these fellows around my house because they are so thorny. I'm glad I only have to do that once in a blue moon.