The Flower of Guam, the Puti tai nobio or Bougainvillea

That Guam’s Territorial Flower was Bougainvillea spectabilis or its Chamorro name Puti tai nobio was known to us. But the facts associated with it have been very interesting and we had to share this with you.

Guam had adopted the Bougainvillea as the flower of Guam in 1968, but this original inhabitant of South America is said to have reached our island from Hawaii in 1910. That is some 6000 kms between the two islands, as the crow flies ! The woody, evergreen shrubby vine with its spectacular and fiery paper-bracts ( false petals ) and its distinctive cream-colored flowers have well adapted to Guam’s climate and now blooms through the months of March to May.

Also did you know that Puti tai nobio loosely translates to “it hurts not to have a sweetheart” ! That is so beautiful !

Beautiful Guam : Check how many spots you can locate in the video