Why are All of Puerto Vallarta's Bougainvillea Flowers White?

Bougainvillea, a strikingly beautiful plant seen inbe seen on all these tours is the dramatic sight of
abundance in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, derived itsBougainvilleas near every subject of interest.
name from Louis Antoine de Bougainvillea, an admiralAnother tour where Bougainvilleas can be seen at
in the French Navy that encountered these plants inevery turn in the road is the Home tour, where
Brazil in 1768 and described their beauty to his fellowvisitors are escorted through selected homes in
Europeans when he returned home.Vallarta's finest neighborhoods. The cobblestone
Bougainvilleas are rapid growing plants that produceroads, white and pastel colored villas with their red
white flowers year round in sunny warm climates andtile roofs, the incredible hillside views of the city and
Vallarta perfectly meets their requirements byBanderas Bay, and of course the magnificent tropical
providing approximately 320 sunny days per yearfoliage with Bougainvilleas around almost every home,
with an average annual temperature of 78°F.provide these tourists with a day full of unforgettable
Being deciduous, they do fine without much wateringsights.
during the seven month dry season in Vallarta fromPuerto Vallarta currently has seven world class golf
November through May, when there is virtually nocourses with the construction of an eighth course
rain. As thorny vines, they seem content growing up,near completion. Three additional courses are on the
horizontal or even hanging down and can reach outdrawing board and will probably be built during the
or up almost 40 feet.next five years. They are all magnificently manicured
It's almost impossible to go anywhere in Vallartacourses, some rolling throughout the foothills of the
without seeing bougainvilleas growing profusely. TheySierra Madres, others along the shore of Banderas
are everywhere along the roadside, can be spottedBay or the Pacific Ocean. Aside from having
on the Sierra Madre hillsides, act as potted plants orabsolutely perfect weather conditions for golf for
serve as ornamental shrubs around almost everyeight months of the year, these courses have one
casita and villa, are all over the golf courses, and areother thing in common; they are all beautifully
around all public areas of interest. Bougainvilleas canadorned with strategically positioned Bougainvilleas.
be seen hanging over walls, from terraces, and fromTypically, when visitors play the golf courses around
window sills in every Vallarta neighborhood. BecauseVallarta, they will take a number of photographs of
they are so dense with foliage and prickly thorns,the scenery and it will invariably include Bougainvilleas.
they are ideal for and routinely used as colorfulThe standard comment is that it's exactly what one
hedges along walkways and between lots.would expect to find in Paradise! Of course, their
Now we ask, if all their flowers are white, why arecomments may differ a bit immediately after
these plants so beautiful and colorful? The answer isspraying a tee shot out of the fairway and into one
that it's not their flowers that have drawn ourof the magnificent Bougainvillea bushes with their
attention, it's their bracts! All bougainvilleas have smallthorny branches and profusion of bracts and leaves
white trumpet shaped flowers in clusters of three,hanging down to the ground, making their ball virtually
surrounded by three or six brightly colored bracts.irretrievable!
These bracts are actually modified or specializedIncluded with the gorgeous and infinitely differing
leaves, generally slightly smaller than the green foliageevening sunsets, the Guadalupe Church, the sand
leaves and their purpose is to attract pollinators. Insculptures on the beach, and the bronze sculptures
the case of bougainvilleas, these bracts can be pink,on the malecon, the colorful Bougainvillea bracts are
magenta, purple, red, orange, yellow, white, or aamong the most photographed topics in Vallarta. If
combination of colors. Poinsettia is another exampleyou bring a camera to this tropical Paradise, make
of a beautiful plant, where the bright red color thatsure you've got plenty of spare memory or film
we're familiar with at Christmas time is actually thebecause it's quite easy to get carried away taking
Poinsettia bract and not a flower.pictures before you've seen it all!
In Vallarta there are numerous tours that are takenIf you're fortunate enough to be one of the 50,000
on a daily basis by thousands of cruise boatNorth Americans living here, the next time a visitor to
passengers and other visitors. They include Safarithe area comments on all the beautiful Bougainvillea
tours, Canopy tours, Jungle tours, City tours, etc., allflowers, you can be a real smart aleck by informing
of which have many beautiful sights to see withthem that what they're admiring are actually bracts;
"photo ops" galore. One common "photo op" that canthat all Bougainvillea flowers are white!