Bougainvillea glabra Choisy

Taxonomy: Plantae > Tracheophyta > Equisetopsida > Caryophyllales > Nyctaginaceae > Bougainvillea > B. glabra

Description: It has thorny stems. Glossy leaves are green or variegated. They are generally glabrous (smooth and hairless) but may have small hairs. Bracts, or modified leaves, are in shades of red, pink, and purple. Around the center of pink, red, or purple bracts, the flowers are much smaller than the bracts and are generally white. Fruit is elongated achene which is less than 1/2 inch long and has a dry hard covering.

Flowering and Fruiting: Summer to nearly year-round

Uses: It is used as a botanical insecticide. In Mexico, an infusion is used to treat gastrointestinal and respiratory problems. The leaves are considered to have anti-inflammatory anthelmintic and antibacterial activity. The reported active compounds in the plant are pinitol, betacyanine, flavonoids, tannins and alkaloids. The plant is just as happy spreading horizontally or hanging downwards as it is climbing upward. It can be trimmed and grown as a formal hedge, or allowed to spread over the ground as a ground cover. The plant is traditionally grown in living fences in the northwestern Himalayas, where it helps to exclude livestock and other animals; mark out land boundaries; whilst also providing a range of medicinal and, it can be used as a pioneer species when restoring native woodland.

Cultivation: Cultivated

References

http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org

https://indiabiodiversity.org