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Bougainvillaea (Named after De Bougainville)

(named after De Bougainville, a French navigator). ORD. Nyctagineae. Gorgeous warm greenhouse or conservatory plants, comprising some of the most showy climbers in cultivation. Their beauty lies in the bracts, which envelop the small greenish flowers. B. glabra may be grown in pots, or planted out in the greenhouse borders; the others are best planted out, as they root very freely, and plenty of space would be occupied if allowed, but it is best to limit it, as they flower much better. Strict training and pinching are not desirable, being prejudicial to the free production of blossom; indeed, the best plan is to allow the plants to ramble freely over the roof of a moderately high house, or along the upper portion of a back wall; they will then flower profusely for several months in the year, provided proper attention be paid to watering, and that the plants are in a well-drained situation. In preparing a border for their reception, the first point to be considered is the drainage, which must be perfect. This is best effected by placing a layer of brick rubbish, 6in. to 9in. in thickness, communicating with the drain, by which means all sourness and stagnancy of the soil will be obviated. The bed should be excavated to a depth of 18in. or 2ft. Three parts turfy loam, and one part leaf soil, with the admixture of a liberal quantity of sharp gritty sand, will form a suitable compost for the culture of Bougainvillaeas. The amount of sand incorporated must depend upon the quality of the other components, heavy loam requiring more than that which is more friable. The occasional incorporation of manure in the compost is not to be recommended; but a liberal application of liquid manure will be of material advantage, especially if the root space is limited. When the plants cease flowering each year-about November or December they should be dried off and rested; and in February they should be closely spurred in, the same as with vines, and all weak leaders removed, so that strong wood only is left. When grown in pots, they must be started in brisk heat. They are easily increased by cuttings prepared from the half-ripened wood; these should be placed in sandy soil, in a brisk bottom heat, when they will soon root. Scale, red spider, and mealy bug are the only insects likely to infest the plants, and recipes for their destruction will be found under each individual name. B. glabra (smooth).* fl., inflorescence panicled, smaller than that of B. speciosa, each branchlet producing cordate-ovate acute rosy bracts, in threes. Summer. l. bright green, smooth. Brazil, 1861. This is by far the best species for pot culture, and forms a very showy plant when well grown. B. speciosa (beautiful).* fl., bracts large, cordate, delicate lilac rose, produced in immense panicles, which, in well grown specimens, are so freely produced as to entirely shroud the whole plant. March to June. l. ovate, very dark green, covered on the upper surface with small hairs. Stems branched, abundantly furnished with large recurved spines. Brazil, 1861. (F. M. i., 62.) B. spectabilis (showy). fl., bracts of a dull brick-red, shaded with scarlet. South America, 1829. It is very difficult to obtain bloom on this plant; and when flowers are produced, they are extremely ephemeral. The species is, for all practical purposes, much inferior to either of the foregoing. SYN. Josepha augusta.