Bougainvillea glabra Choisy

Scrambling or climbing shrub with fairly stout, rather curved spines; shoots and spines with curly hairs. Lvs with densely hairy petioles, brownish when young. Lamina 4–11 × 1.75–8 cm, lanceolate-ovate to broad-ovate, puberulent when young, becoming glabrate above except on veins; base cuneate; apex cuspidate or short-acuminate. Fls on long branches, leafy at the base, in clusters of (1)–3. Bracts 3.5–5.5 × 3–4 cm, broadly oblong-ovate, magenta, papery, ± bullate; apex acute or mucronate. Perianth 2–2.5 cm long, densely hairy and dark purple outside, cream inside; limb 7–10 mm diam., shrinking when dried, undulate, cream above. Stamens unequal; anthers suborbicular. Fr. not seen.

[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]

Flowering: Jul.–Jun.