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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Nyctaginaceae (Four O¹Clock) |
| Origin: Brazil (South America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: Orange & Pink |
| Bloomtime: Summer/Fall |
| Height: 2-4 feet |
| Width: 4-6 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
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Bougainvillea 'Rosenka' - An evergreen shrub that can reach to 3-4+ feet tall by 4-6 feet wide but can be kept much lower with trimming. It has medium green leaves that have a warm bronze cast to the new growth and very colorful bracts that turn from gold to pink as they mature surrounding the small white flowers. Flowers are often on this plant from spring late into the fall and sometimes through a mild winter. Plant in full sun where it requires very little irrigation along the coast once established. Hardy to about 20-25 degrees F. A great shrub-forming selection that provides lots of year-round color in our climate – gets a bit taller and wider than most people seem to think and this has given it black marks by some but it is still one of the smaller growing of the Bougainvillea. It cannot be beat for the splash of color it can add to the landscape. This plant was a bud sport of 'Poultonii' (AKA 'Ooh La La') that first started showing up in Southern California in the 1970's and has since become one of the most common of the Bougainvillea in Southern California. Crimson Jewel ('Monka') was itself a sport of Rosenka that occurred at Monrovia Nursery in 1989. We have grown this plant in our nursery since 1982. The name for the genus honors the French admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811). Bougainville first visited South American in 1764 on a voyage to settle the Falkland Islands and in 1766 he left on a journey to become the first Frenchman to circumnavigate the globe. On this trip he was accompanied by the botanist Philibert Commerçon, who reportedly named the plant they found 'Bougainvillea' but it was not officially described until 1789 by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu. Jussieu actually misspelled the name as Buginvillea, and this name was not corrected until the 20th century.. Further intrigue regarding this plant's discovery is that it may have actually been discovered by Philibert Commerçon's assistant (and possibly his lover) Jeanne Baré, who he had snuck onboard, disguising her as a man.
This information about Bougainvillea 'Rosenka' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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