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Summary

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".

Description

It is an evergreen, climbing shrub that usually grows 3–3.5 m (10–12 ft) tall, occasionally up to 9 m (30 ft). It features thick, thorny stems and drooping branches that are glabrous or sparsely hairy. The leaves have a

Raphides have been found in the stem, bracts and different parts of the flower.

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 stamens. The ovary is about 2 millimeters long, the stylus 1 millimeter and the scar 2.5 millimeters.

Tiny white flowers usually appear in clusters surrounded by colorful papery bracts, hence the name paperflower. The leaves are dark green, variable in shape, up to 100 mm (4 in) long. The flowers are about 0.4 cm (0.16 in) in diameter (the pink petal-like structures are not petals, but bracts).

Inflorescences

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 stamens. The ovary is about 2 millimeters long, the stylus 1 millimeter and the scar 2.5 millimeters.

Tiny white flowers usually appear in clusters surrounded by colorful papery bracts, hence the name paperflower. The leaves are dark green, variable in shape, up to 100 mm (4 in) long. The flowers are about 0.4 cm (0.16 in) 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...