Bougainvillea
It's a vine. It's a climber. It's evergreen in wet climates. It's beautiful but it's
barely a flower!
What?
Seriously, one of the most beautiful flora around these parts is all about the leaves or "bracts." Jeepers, who knew?! So what is a Bract?
According to
Britannica online a
bract is a "small, leaflike structure often positioned beneath a flower or inflorescence. What are often taken to be the petals of flowers are sometimes bracts." The article points to the colorful poinsettia and dogwood as popular culprits.
Here in Florida, it's most notably the Bougainvillea!
 |
| The actual flower has a diameter smaller than a dime. |
Those of us who grew up elsewhere just thought that the magnificent magenta set against the deep evergreen of the vine was a beautiful flower. Not so! It is simply a cluster of leaves.
So, let's hear it for the leaf. Enjoy!
It's a vine. It's a climber. It's evergreen in wet climates. It's beautiful but it's barely a flower!
