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Bright hues
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Colourful multi-bracted bougainvilleas are popular as they are beautiful, vigorous and need very little care.
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IN BOUGAINVILLEAS, the flower has a petal-like bract. On each flower-stalk there are three flowers and their bracts. In multi-bracted Bougainvilleas, the flowers are very much reduced or even absent, but the bracts are many numbering, 20 to 40. They are smaller but closely arranged.
Multi-bracted Bougainvilleas were first reported and named in the Philippines. Their arrival in this country at the latter part of 1960 created so much excitement that it resulted in nurseries trying to stock the new varieties of Bougainvilleas neglecting the older varieties.
Bougainvillea Mahara was the first multi-bracted Bougainvillea to arrive. It produces large compact bunches of rhodamine purple bracts.
The plant is vigorous and free flowering. It is also known as "Million Dollar" and "Manila Magic."
Bougainvillea "Roseville's delight" also known as "Doubloon" is a multi-bracted variety that is vigorous and colourful with pleasing orange-coloured bracts.
In cultivation the plant often throws out rhodamine purple bracts like those of Mahara.
Bougainvillea "Pink Champagne" is another multi-bracted Bougainvillea with candy pink bracts borne on drooping branches. It is also known as "Mahara pink."
Another variety is the Bougainvillea "Cherry Blossom." It is a white-bracted variety of double Bougainvillea also known as "Bridal Bouquet." The bracts are almost white with some of them having light purple colouration at the tips. A purely white multi-bracted Bougainvillea has also been reported to exist as well as another with lavender mauve bracts named "Carmencita."
All multi-bracted Bougainvilleas, now widely grown, are vigorous plants needing very little care. Unlike some of the much-hybridised earlier varieties, the multi-bracted varieties are easily propagated and cuttings root easily. That is one more reason why the colourful multi-bracted Bougainvilleas have become so popular with gardeners.
CHITRA RADHAKRISHNAN
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