Bougainvillea Temple Fire

~Temple Fire

A fabulous dwarf bougainvillea, ‘Temple Fire’ shows flaming color in both its flower and its bronze leaf accents. This is a cultivar derived from Bougainvillea glabra, which was crossed with hybrids to create a rainbow of colors and dwarf forms for smaller gardens. It retains the intense, long-lasting color of its ancestors in spite of its short stature plants.

The brick red color blooms are bracts, leaves that have evolved to lure pollinators. The bracts are very long lasting and fade to pink before dropping. They are replaced in waves throughout the year. The true flowers are small white  tubes pollinated by hummingbirds and long-tongued insects. Like most bougainvilleas, ‘Temple Fire’ displays its best color when conditions are dry, but does equally well in the humid tropics. If over-watered or over-fertilized, it will revert to a surplus of leaves and diminished bloom.