The History of Bougainvilleas

In the late 1760s, Louis-Antoine de Bougainville became the first French navigator to circumnavigate the globe. He brought a French naturalist named Philibert Commerson along with him on the journey. During a brief stop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Commerson came across a brightly colored plant. The expedition brought news of the species back to Europe, and several years later, a French botanist named Antoine de Jussieu dubbed it "Bougainvillea" in Louis-Antoine’s honor. In the early 19th century, Europeans began to actively cultivate the plant. One of the most significant Bougainvillea hybrids is Bougainvillea x buttiana, an accidental garden hybrid discovered by a woman called Mrs. Butt that was named in her honor. As England and France began producing more varieties of Bougainvillea, they started to trade the plants to Australia and other countries. This helped establish the flowers in many different areas. Today, Bougainvilleas can be found in many of the warmest parts of the world, including the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, East and Southeast Asia, India, Mexico, Australia, and the southern United States, where they add color to the landscape and attract pollinators like hummingbirds, moths, and butterflies.