The colour on every wall in Coco is bougainvillea, called veranera here for the dry season, verano, when it is at its best. Magenta is the classic but you will see orange, white, purple, salmon and pink, sometimes several grafted onto one plant.
Where you’ll see it
Every wall, fence, gate and hotel entrance in the province. It thrives on neglect and full sun and produces the most colour when it is being treated worst.
What to know
The colour is not the flower. The bright papery parts are modified leaves around three tiny white true flowers. The plant is a vine with vicious thorns that will climb anything and needs hard pruning to stay in bounds. Give it sun, give it little water, and give it something to climb. It asks nothing else and it will outlive you.
