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Paperflower (Bougainvillea glabra)

Description

Bougainvillea glabra, the lesser bougainvillea or paperflower, is the most common species of bougainvillea used for bonsai. It is an evergreen, climbing shrub with thorny stems. It usually grows 10-12 ft (3.0-3.7 m) tall, occasionally up to 30 ft (9 m). 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 4 in (10 cm) long.The flowers are about 0.4 cm in diameter (the pink petal-like structures are not petals, but bracts.)

Taxonomic tree

  • Domain: Eukarya

    • Kingdom: Plantae

      • Phylum: Magnoliophyta

        • Class: Magnoliopsida

          • Order: Caryophyllales

            • Family: Nyctaginaceae

              • Genus: Bougainvillea