1. FlowersBougainvillea ( BOO-gən-VIL-ee-ə, US also BOH-) is a genus of thorny ornamental vines, bushes, and trees belonging to the family Nyctaginaceae. They are native to Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and Argentina. There are between 4 and 22 species in the genus. The inflorescence consists of large colourful sepal-like bracts which surround three simple waxy flowers, gaining popularity for the plant as an ornamental. The plant is named after explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729–1811), after it was documented on one of his expeditions. == Description == The species grow 1 to 12 metres (3 to 39 ft) tall, scrambling over other plants with their spiky thorns. They are evergreen where rainfall occurs all year, or deciduous if there is a dry season. The leaves are alternate, simple ovate-acuminate, 4–13 cm (1.6–5.1 in) long and 2–6 cm (0.79–2.4 in) broad. The actual flower of the plant is small and generally white, but each cluster of three flowers is surrounded by three or six... from wikipedia.org