Bougainvillea was discovered by French botanist Philibert Commers on the coasts of Brazil, in the 1760’s. Commerson was was an avid collector of botanical specimens and sometimes called a lunatic and a magpie of exotic plants. Despite being a poor sailor he voyaged around the world in his botanical quest. In 1766 Louis-Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811), lawyer, mathematician, and explorer, joined the French army to serve with Montcalm in Canada so that he would not have to follow his father’s profession of notary.