It was a French woman, Jeanne Baret (often spelled Baré or Barret; July 27, 1740 – August 5, 1807) who was a member of Louis Antoine de Bougainville’s colonial expedition on the two ships Étoile Boudeuse in 1766–1769. Baret is justifiably recognized as being first woman to complete a voyage of circumnavigation of the globe. Baret likely discovered many plants on the expedition, but the most notable was the bougainvillea plant, which she named for the Etoile’s commander. The plant named after Baret, the Baretia, however, has since shed her name.
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Thank you for sharing, Very interesting I had not heard about her before.
Glad you found it interesting, thanks for reading and commenting.
How interesting. I grew up in Miami, Florida and this particular flower was everywhere and it was one of my favorites. Never heard of Baret. I only know about Ponce de Leon.
Hello, thanks for reading my post. I had no idea that bougainvilleas were so prolific in Florida. We sure have many varieties in South Africa. They are very hardy plants.