Bougainvillea, is it a leaf or a flower?

Nature is a magical treasure house.
In order to adapt to the environment and obtain a place to survive, plants strive to emit their most dazzling light
.

Bougainvillea is a collective name for Bougainvillea Comm.
ex Juss.
plants in the Mirabilis family.
It is native to the Amazon rain forests of South America, including Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia and other countries
.

Bougainvillea was first discovered by the French
.

In 1768, the British also discovered Bougainvillea in Brazil, but the color of the flower was brick red
.

Bougainvillea was introduced to China relatively late
.

China has a vast territory.
Bougainvillea has different names in different regions, and there are many nicknames, which can be said to echo the "different style of a hundred miles"
.

Bougainvillea is a climbing shrub, a few species can grow into tall trees over 15 meters
.

Although there are many native species of bougainvillea, only three species, Bougainvillea glabra Choisy, Bougainvillea spectabilis Willd.
, and Bougainvillea peruviana Humboldi & Bonpiand, have high horticultural value
.

The ornamental part of the leaf core is not a flower, but a colorful bract
.
The bracts are grown under the inflorescence or at the base of the pedicel, which are abnormal leaves
.
The bracts have obvious bracts, and the midribs are conjoined with the pedicels
.
The bracts of bougainvillea are papery, thin in texture, and rich in color.
Generally, three pieces are in a group, and four pieces are very rare
.
The bracts are rich in colors, often divided into six major color systems: red, pink, purple, yellow, white and mixed colors.
There are many transitional colors in these major color systems
.
The color of Bougainvillea bracts has a very wide range from young to mature, showing a series of changes, which is very ornamental
.

The bright and colorful color of leaf flower bracts is because they are rich in beet pigments, and the changes in the content and structure of the pigments make them show different colors
.
In addition to the rich colors, the morphology of bracts can also be divided into single bracts and double bracts
.
The heavy bud varieties have no real flowers, and the pistils and stamens are degraded.
When the bracts open, they open layer by layer from the outside to the inside, forming clusters
.

You can see its real flower by breaking the leaf flower bracts
.
Bougainvillea usually has a flower on each bract, and the petals generally have short, small lobes, and the color is the same as that of the bracts, and they are colorful
.
When the corolla tube is not open, it is a thin tube, and when it opens, it is in the shape of a funnel
.

According to the observation and comparison of the researchers, they found that the color of bougainvillea is particularly interesting.
The color of its bracts corresponds to the color of the sepals and corolla.
It seems that the regulation of the colors of the bracts, sepals and corolla is synchronized.
Correspondingly
.

Bougainvillea with rich colors and various shapes is excellent for ornamental and has very high ornamental value, and is favored by landscaping and flower exhibitions
.
Bougainvillea is a climbing plant with gorgeous flower color, luxuriant branches and leaves, strong adaptability, many varieties, long flowering period, rich flower color, strong ornamental and pruning resistance
.
It can not only be used for landscaping of flower beds, flower mirrors and flower gardens, but also for the greening of courtyards, balconies and roof gardens, and can also be used for making bonsai
.
Southern provinces are often used as road greening separation belts and urban elevated greening.
In the second half of the year, brilliant bougainvillea blooms on urban road elevated roads, which have now become an indispensable landscape of the city
.

As the main flower material of the flower exhibition, bougainvillea has a strong collocation
.
As China Ke Xueyuan Wuhan Botanical Garden for the first time organized the "territory · Flowers fate" theme Azalea flower show, the "earth realm" and "Sky realm" flowers to create space
.
Among them, the "Indus luxuriant, there are phoenixes inhabiting" the scenic spot, with bougainvillea of ​​different colors, stepped to show the gorgeous feather tail of the phoenix, brilliant and lively
.

In addition to being used as a landscape plant, bougainvillea also has great potential for its development as a natural edible pigment
.
The bracts of bougainvillea are rich in beet pigment
.
It is a combination of beet amino acid and amino acid derivative.
It is a water-soluble pigment that exhibits colorful colors such as red, white, yellow, and purple in plants, and has antioxidant and anti-radiation effects on plants
.
According to research findings, beet pigments also have anti-oxidation and peroxidation effects on the human body.
Long-term consumption of foods with natural beet pigments can help relieve body disorders caused by external pressure
.

In the golden autumn season, the light is just right, and the bougainvillea exhibition in Wuhan Botanical Garden is underway, and the colorful bracts are swaying and shining in the sun
.
Come and see this intelligent plant in the flower border
.

references:

1.
Zhou Qun, Huang Kefu, Guo Huizhu.
Description of Bougainvillea Ornamental Resources[J].
Subtropical Plant Science,2011,40(3):78-80.

2.
Xu Suxia et al.
Progress in the biological research of Bougainvillea[J].
Botany Bulletin,2008,25 (4):483-490.

3.
Chen Chizheng.
Investigation of Bougainvillea Germplasm Resources and Research on Variety Classification[D].
South China Agricultural University, 2017.

4.
Flora of China http:// style="text-indent:2em"> Source: China Ke Xueyuan Wuhan Botanical Garden