Bougainvillea is an evergreen plant blossom vine differentiate by its beautiful , colored bracts and sharp spines . It is native to Brazil and other tropic areas in Central and South America . The plant was first discovered in Rio de Janeiro in 1768 by botanist Philibert Commerson , who named it after Admiral Louis Antoine , Comte de Bougainville , master of the ship that carried Commerson to the New World . Bougainvillea shares membership in the Nyctaginaceae family with common four o’clocks . Single or double bracts flower in shades of white , pink , peach , orangish and lift , with some bi - coloured varieties as well . Most modern bougainvillea are cross derive from two specie : Bougainvillea spectabilis ( the specie discovered by Commerson ) and Bougainvillea glabra . Since their discovery in the 18th hundred , the bloom have acquired many meanings .

Meanings: Official Flowers

Like other beautiful plant , Bougainvillea has been opt as the symbolic representation of a host of countries , region and municipalities . It is the national flush of the Caribbean nation of Granada and the United States territorial dominion of Guam . It is also the prescribed flower of several counties in Taiwan and Malaysia . In the United States , Bougainvillea is the flowered symbol of three California cities : Camarillo , Laguna Niguel and San Clemente .

Meanings: Nicknames

Malaysians call Bougainvillea " bunga kekwa " or " paper efflorescence " , because of the papery quality of the bracts . One Hawaiian soubriquet is " pua kepalo , " which stand for " devil flower . " This is most likely a reference to its acute spines and peradventure to the scarlet bract .

Symbol of Welcome

Despite its diabolical nickname , Hawaiians sometimes use Bougainvillea to make leis , the traditional floral wreath that are used to observe felicitous occasion and welcome visitant . The bracts are strung in bunches or individually , with thread piercing the center of each three - bracted " flower . "

Symbol of Colonial Expansion

Though native to South America , Bougainvillea spread as Europeans traded with or colonized different parts of the man . Colonists carry the flora to the Caribbean , Africa , India and southeasterly Asia , where they keep to be widely grown . The plant get in Hawaii in 1827 . The United States and India finally established bougainvillea order for fanciers of the vine .

Bougainvillea Celebrated Everywhere as a Symbol of Beauty

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