Question
Hi,

Can you tell me what species of bougainvilleas
I have? Both are varigated, one is raspberry Ice
and the other is Delta dawn. Im a little confused between what is glabra or spectablis or
buttiana.

                  Thanks for any help,

                          Jo Ann

Answer
Jo Ann,

No, I can't without looking at your plants. But here are the differences.

Bougainvillea species
Bougainvillea glabra -- It is thought that this climbing evergreen member of the family was first identified by Choisy about 1850.

LEAVES are elliptical in shape and usually display a glossy sheen. May be green or variegated. Basically it is glabrous, but you may find some puberulence.
BRACTS come in many different sizes and shapes. Usually they are triangular in shape and the colors are in shades of purple or mauve. White is also common. The bracts tend to appear all along the branches and at the tips.
THORNS are small and curved at the tips.
FLOWERS are white to cream colored.
HABIT is usually spreading and the green leaf types are fairly fast growing. Blooms several times a year.
REMARKS: When grown from seeds, B. glabra may show more variation in size, bract shapes, color than the other species, but the colors are pretty much in the mauve-purple shades or white. It should be noted that B. glabra and B. spectabilis are very much alike in general appearance, the main differences are the bloom cycle and glabra is hairless while spectabilis is hairy. Both species may show wide variations in sturcture when grown from seed.
Bougainvillea peruviana -- It is thought that this climbing evergreen member was first identified by Humbolt around 1810. This species is noted for its green colored bark.

LEAVES are strongly ovate and hairless. Usually they are long and thin.
BRACTS are magenta to pink and rounded. They may have some distortion or wrinkling.
THORNS are short and fairly straight.
FLOWERS are yellow.
HABIT is lanky with nice green leaves. Not as vigorous as some hybirds but requires pruning to promote branching. May bloom several times a year if allowed to experience a dry period between flushes.
REMARKS: B. peruviana is the most stable species and there is little variation in the general shape of bracts and leaves from seeds. A representative plant of this species might show long branches, sometimes bare of leaves in the juvenile stage. The bracts will usually be small, wrinkled and a pale pink. It is easier to distinguish peruviana from the other two.
Bougainvillea spectabilis -- This was the first member of the family to be identifed. Willdenow is credited with this identification in 1798. This species is noted for its hairy leaves and stems.

LEAVES are large and mostly ovate. They may show some rippling along the edges and hairs can be seen underneath.
BRACTS are usually in shades of red, shades of dark pink or shades of purple.
THORNS are large and may be curved.
FLOWERS are usually cream colored.
HABIT is dense and the bracts appear up and down the branches. The bloom cycle is seasonal: during the dry season or as a result of a cool spell which will trigger it to bloom.
REMARKS: Very similar to glabra except as noted above.

Most of the bougainvilleas used as houseplants in North America are bougainvillea glabra. Good luck with yours.

Darlene