Bougainvillea
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Middling It gives warning, with time to act.
Also called Lesser Bougainvillea, Paper Flower and Paperflower.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Full sunRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 11 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °CRHS · read 11 September 2026- Soil
- Loam; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 11 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 11 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No harm statement is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 11 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- Crisp margins that appear in winter
The bougainvillea shows browning on many leaf blades at once, all at the margin, with no spots or soft patches anywhere.
Leaf margins are the end of the water supply, so they are the first tissue to run short when the air takes more than the roots can send. Penn State Extension cites 30% to 60% as the recommended indoor range, and a heated room in winter sits below it.
Telling it apart: Where the plant stands. Browning concentrated on the side facing a heater points at the air.
Penn State ExtensionBougainvillea brown leaf tips and edges: causes- Lower leaf blades collapse and yellow within days of a watering
A sour smell from the compost is common on a bougainvillea, and the leaves nearest the soil come away when pulled. The surface may look dry while everything beneath it is not.
The source for this plant describes moist but well-drained soil. Compost that stays saturated loses the air spaces fine roots grow into, and those roots die back first.
Telling it apart: Weigh the pot in your hand. A pot still heavy a week after watering is holding more water than the roots are using.
RHSBougainvillea leaves turning yellow: causes- Pale dry areas across the upper leaf blades only
Affected tissue goes pale and then papery, and the boundary follows where the light falls rather than the shape of the leaf blade.
Full sun is what its source names, and outdoors that sun comes with moving air that cools the foliage. Behind still glass the same light heats the tissue well above the room, and the exposed patches dry out first.
Telling it apart: Which side. Damage confined to the lit side is light; damage spread evenly is not.
RHSBougainvillea leaves turning yellow: causes
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Bougainvillea.
Routine care
- Watering
- Lesser Bougainvillea suits a hot, dry climate; water it thoroughly but let it dry out between waterings.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026From spring, as plants resume active growth, water more and use a balanced liquid feed until colour shows in the bracts, then change to a high potassium feed. In autumn, water less and stop feeding.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- From spring, as active growth resumes, water more and give a balanced liquid feed until colour shows in the bracts, then change to a high-potassium feed. In autumn, water less and stop feeding.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Seed, stem cuttingsNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Layer in early spring; in summer take semi-ripe cuttings; in winter root hardwood cuttings over bottom heat.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Prune right after flowering to keep the shape you want.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Follow pruning group 12.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by glasshouse whitefly, aphids, mealybugs and glasshouse red spider mite. Diseases: usually none.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Bougainvillea glabra, the lesser bougainvillea or paperflower, is the most common species of bougainvillea used for bonsai. The epithet 'glabra' comes from Latin and means "bald".
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- E. & S. BrazilWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026native to Brazil and PeruNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026BrazilRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- climbing shrub or lianaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Annual, Perennial, Shrub, Vine; habit arching, cascading, climbing, multi-trunked, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Climbing (semi evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 120–240 in; width 72–120 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 4-8 metres; spread 2.5-4 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers cream/tan, gold/yellow, white; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers pink in summer and autumnRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Uses
What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.
It serves as a plant-based insecticide. Mexicans take an infusion of it for stomach, gut and respiratory problems.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Bougainvillea
Plants with similar care
Creeping figLeaf blade tips go crisp and brown
English ivyCrisp margins that appear in winter
Heartleaf philodendronA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
MonsteraBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Purple passionLeaf blade tips go crisp and brown
Rubber plantCrisp margins that appear in winter
Sources
- ASPCA · read 11 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 11 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.