Bougainvillea is one of the most common and most recognizeable tropical ornamental plants. There are 14 recognized species, but the cultivated bougainvilleas are derived from three species and their hybrids.
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The name bougainvillea is based on the scientific name for the genus, Bougainvillea. Admiral Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, Comte de Bougainville, was a French soldier and sailor. In 1766 the French government commissioned him to sail around the world, finding new territories for France. He took along a naturalist, Philibert Commerson and it was at the very beginning of the trip, in Rio de Janiero, that the first bougainvilleas known to western science were collected. Impressed by the bright bracts, Commerson named them for the admiral, as Bougainvillea.
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Recently, the story of the discovery of bougainvillea has been revised. Commerson did go on the voyage and was the botanist. But his housekeeper and lover, Jeanne Baret (Baré) went along as Commerson's assistant. The French navy absolutely and explicitly prohibited women on naval vessels. Nevertheless, Baret disguised herself as a man and sailed with Commerson. The surviving journals of the expedition barely mention her, probably due to a mix of sexism and fear of the consequences of admitting that they knew the "no women!" rule was broken.
