Bougainvillea Festival in Lucknow: ‘Discovered in Brazil, bougainvillea requires minimal care’
“The name Bougainvillea was named after his friend sailor Louis de Bougainville,” said Radha Rangarajan, a scientist and director of CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow.
Bougainvillea was first discovered by the French botanist Philibert Commerson in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the 1760s, said Radha Rangarajan, a scientist and director of CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow, on Sunday during the Bougainvillea Festival.
“The name Bougainvillea was named after his friend sailor Louis de Bougainville,” added Rangarajan while sharing interesting historical facts at the festival organised by CSIR-NBRI at its KN Kaul Block Lawn where she was the guest of honour.
“The splashing colours of bougainvillea refresh our heart and mind. This plant requires very little care and maintenance. This virtue of the plant can provide us insights to explore climate-resilient features,” said PK Trivedi, director, CSIR-CIMAP, who was also the guest of honour at the one-day flower festival.
“Bougainvillea is widely used in beautification drives in Lucknow. This plant must be included in mass plantation drives for arid and semi-arid areas,” said Satya Narain Sabat, DG, The Crime Branch, Crime Investigation Department (CB-CID), Lucknow, who was the chief guest later during the prize distribution. “It is our moral responsibility to take our floriculture and agricultural technologies from the lab to farmers so that their income and livelihood can be improved,” said NBRI’s director Ajit Kumar Shasany.
Over two dozen varieties with unique names on display
“We have displayed more than two dozen Bougainvillea varieties developed by the institute such as Begum Sikander, Shubhra, Arjuna, Archana, Mary Palmer Special, Los Banos Variegata, Aruna, among others at the festival,” said SK Tewari, chief scientist & convener of the show.
He further added that the festival was curated in 2022, with a focus on the major summer ornamental plant Bougainvillea, and this is the third Bougainvillea festival organised by the institute. A total of 19 exhibitors participated in the show with 46 entries.
