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Bougainvillea glabra

Bougainvillea

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Bougainvillea, Lesser Bougainvillea, Paper Flower

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tāria (RR MG MT TW MH RK), Tiare Taratara (AT), ‘Ītāria (MK AK), Bougainvillia (PL), Tālia (TS); Other Polynesian - Felila (SAM)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Brazil; EXOTIC EXOTIC circumtropical

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; S.Group - common; N.Group - rare; Land, lowlands, gardens

KEY FEATURES: A climbing shrub of numerous varieties. SPINES absent, or strong, to 2cm, straight or tip curved. LEAVES ovate to elliptical, widest near centre, to 11x6cm, hairs absent or minimal; not reducing below the flowers. BRACTS triangular with tip acute; white or shades of mauve and purple. FLOWER TUBE minimally hairy, swollen at base to 2.5mmØ or more; petals white to cream.

SIMILAR SPECIES: See under Bougainvillea Xbuttiana.

Enlarged Image of 'Bougainvillea glabra'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++++	+++	+++	+++	+	+++	+	-	-

Northern Group: Present
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
++	P	P	+	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Bougainvillea glabra Choisy in DC.
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); CARYOPHYLLIDAE; Caryophyllales; NYCTAGINACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Pukapuka: fieldview, 2/2004, G.McCormack probably Bougainvillea glabra - needs checking.

References:
p.338 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.174 Hortus 3rd
p.161 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.689 Tropica
p.2/265 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova

Data Update History (information):
zB04b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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