This is the most photographed bougainvillea in Torremolinos: it has at least 80 years of history.

The 18th-century French botanist Philibert Commerson might have achieved 'immortality' had he possessed the ego of Donald Trump. Instead, he chose to bestow botanical glory on the French explorer with whom he circumnavigated the globe between 1766 and 1769: Louis Antoine de Bougainville. In his honor, he named the 'bougainvillea,' the tropical plant from South America that the naturalist located in the forests of Brazil and that Bougainville introduced to Europe upon his return. Today, known - according to the Royal Spanish Academy - as 'buganvilla,' it not only settled well in Spain, but nowadays, it is one of the most typical and traditional plants of the Costa del Sol. In fact, in Torremolinos, the unofficial first capital of the Costa del Sol, one of the most lustrous, historic, and beautiful bougainvilleas in southern Spain is found, to the extent that it has become a small attraction for plant lovers visiting the city. Moreover, as its owner reports, tourists stopping to take a photo with their partner, in a group, a selfie, or capturing the best 'angles' of the plant, as if it were a movie star, is a daily scene. "The bougainvillea is about 80 years old, because I bought the house more than 50 years ago and it was already lush," tells Juan de Dios Mellado to La Opinión de Málaga, a retired journalist who was the director of Diario 16 Málaga and who lives at 22 Lido Avenue, where this 'exhibition' bougainvillea that gifts everyone who passes by hundreds of intensely red flowers is located. As he recalls, the previous owner of the house was the Camy family from Granada, who bought the land to build three chalets for the family. "Back then, there was nothing here but the famous Navajas Palace; they fell in love with this place and built three wonderful chalets; the only one left is mine," remembers Juan de Dios Mellado, who also had the opportunity to meet the Camys. Juan de Dios Mellado explains that this bougainvillea that bursts onto Lido Avenue attracts so many passersby stopping to take a photo, "that I take care of it and refuse to prune it." Interestingly, he details that it needs little water, which matches the original design of the chalets, as each had an attic with a rainwater tank - his house still maintains it - because initially "water did not reach" and it was reserved for the summer. "Something typical of the Granadian water management," he emphasizes. The 'diet' of those first owners and the current one has suited this octogenarian plant in splendid form very well. The knotty and sturdy trunk, almost that of a tree, and the upright crown that dyes the sky red are proof of its veteran status and its desire to continue beautifying Torremolinos.