Bougainvillea glabra

Native to eastern and southern Brazil, this evergreen woody climber grows about 10 to 20 feet tall and uses curved thorns to scramble over supports. Its papery pink, purple, or red bracts surround small white or cream tubular flowers. The leaves are relatively smooth, and the flower tubes have five distinct angles. It is naturalized in Hawaii and parts of Texas and Florida. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia and Miami, Florida.