Bougainvillea

Native to South America, bougainvillea is a genus of plants with about 18 species, many of them being thorny bushes or vines that grow small leaves called bracts that look like small, thin-petaled flowers. These “flowers” can be a range of colors, but in the USVI, they are usually white, pink, purple, or a mixture of the three. Bougainvilleas thrive in very sunny, somewhat dry locations, and in its ideal environment, a lot more colorful bracts will grow. This plant also is used in traditional medicine to treat stomach aches, high blood pressure, and more.