Hortus Botanicus Leiden, Netherlands

Common name: Bougainville, Paper flower, lesser bougainvillea

Family: Nyctaginaceae (Four o'clock)

Distribution: Brazil

Life form: Tree or shrub

Comments: What appear to be the petals of a pink flower are in fact the bracts. They are paper-thin and encompass the inconspicuous white flowers. The bracts attract insects and protect the flowers from rain. Betalains, water-soluble pigments, provide the pink colour. There are about seventeen species of Bougainvillea, native to the tropics and subtropics of South America, especially Brazil. Bougainvillea was first found in the second half of the eighteenth century, during an expedition led by French mariner Louis Antoine de Bougainville. They were introduced into Europe in the first half of the nineteenth century. Species and hybrids from the genus are used as garden and house plants.