Author Topic: Bougainvillea  (Read 3546 times)

LivingParadise

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Bougainvillea
« on: March 31, 2017, 03:49:03 PM »
Pretty, drought-tolerant, easy to grow in poor soils with high PH, and come in a wide variety of colors with lots of landscaping uses... and yes, the colored part of the "flowers" are edible.

I eat large portions of them as salad daily, and also in rice paper wraps with tofu. I wouldn't say it's the best tasting vegetable, but it's free in my yard, and probably has loads of antioxidants or other beneficial properties.

***
Ah, it turns out I was right: http://www.ijppsjournal.com/Vol6Issue5/9423.pdf

Grow them organically, so you don't reverse all the great anti-inflammatory and potentially anti-cancer effects by ingesting commercial poisons along with them. In the right conditions, they don't seem to need much care anyway.

I have not found much flavor difference between colors, incidentally. But I have only tried pink, red, and purple.

Luisport

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Re: Bougainvillea
« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2017, 04:28:56 PM »
Hi! This is incredible! You eat all the flower? Thank's!  ;D

LivingParadise

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Re: Bougainvillea
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2017, 10:11:24 AM »
Yes, I just rip off the colored part of the plant, and eat - stamen and all. I do not eat anything green on the plant, because I have not seen mention anywhere that it is edible/safe as yet. Any part that is colored, I eat. Which means thus far, I do not eat from these plants when they are not in bloom - but that's usually in the rainy season here, when there are plenty of other things available to eat. It's a great starvation plant, to help fill out so there is food year-round without any effort, and clearly has a lot of great medicinal qualities that have been used by indigenous populations for a long time.

Luisport

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Re: Bougainvillea
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2017, 03:01:18 PM »
Thank's!  ;D

BajaJohn

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Re: Bougainvillea
« Reply #4 on: June 08, 2017, 02:53:50 PM »
I'll have to try them.

They are super hardy too. These were bare twigs cut out of a wire mesh fence and transplanted two years ago.
« Last Edit: June 08, 2017, 02:56:36 PM by BajaJohn »

ericalynne

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Re: Bougainvillea
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2017, 08:08:32 PM »
I had no idea the flowers were edible. Thank you for posting. For those who have not planted them yet, you might consider getting the old-fashioned kind, if you want to draw pollinators into your yard. Apparently the insects don't like the newer varieties.

spaugh

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Re: Bougainvillea
« Reply #6 on: July 16, 2017, 01:30:57 AM »
Those things grow like weeds here.  Seems like they do better with absolute neglect and zero watering.  My neighbor has some massive ones growing out of a giant granite slab.
Brad Spaugh

LivingParadise

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Re: Bougainvillea
« Reply #7 on: July 17, 2017, 08:34:46 AM »
Seems like they do better with absolute neglect and zero watering. 

Yes - they flower better when lacking water. A great drought-friendly edible landscape plant, and they also can make a great living fence if there are people or pests you want to keep out of an area! (BUT, don't expect them to keep out iguanas... iguanas LOVE them... argh)

OCchris1

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Re: Bougainvillea
« Reply #8 on: September 20, 2017, 02:03:49 AM »
I suppose they make a beautiful veggie burrito?! I have a couple of old, potted "bonsai" bougainvillea by my pool that I should try and reap some benefits from. Chris
-Chris