Grown from a seed from Portugal

My oh brought back some seeds he'd snaffled from a garden in Portugal last year, and to my surprise a couple grew. We now have a plant with thorns, which has thrived all summer but is beginning to drop it's leaves. I've moved it into the greenhouse. He has no idea what the plant he took them from looked like, only that it had lovely flowers. Might it be a bougainvillea?

 

Hi Ariadae. It probably is a Bougainvillea. I have many and most drop their leaves but at different times depending on the variety. I've never seen seeds on mine. It will need to be protected from frost. Perhaps pictures will jog oh's memory ...

https://images.search.yahoo.com/sea...ougainvillea+leaves&fr=ymyy-t-999&fr2=piv-web

 

Is it my imagination or are the leaves in 3's / trifoliate?

http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20p?see=I_EHCP1817&res=640

I wonder if this might be Staphylea trifolia.
It had interesting large bladder like seed pods which contain large seeds.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=S...ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIn9e9g87TyAIVgf4sCh3bfQK5

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=S...83TyAIVA5EsCh162gm1&biw=1536&bih=770&dpr=1.25

 

Yes it is trifoliate, with 2 sharp prickles where the leaf leaves the main stem

 

The leaves look more like the images of bougainvillea than Staphylea, but he can't remember what the seeds or flowers looked like, as he often pops seeds in his pocket when we're on our travels

 

Right...didn't see the prickles.
That rules out Staphylea which does not have spines, prickles, or thorns.

 

looks like Erythrina, probably crista- galli.

 

Yes!!!! @pete I believe you're right, I have looked at descriptions of that and it fits perfectly. Any idea whether it will survive in the UK? It's in the greenhouse ATM, leaves starting to fall off. Thank you very much

 

Yes it will survive ok in a greenhouse if kept almost bone dry, I have a few reservations as yours is very young, so a bit of heat would be helpful.
I can be pot grown and will flower eventually, can get up to 2.5 mtrs in a single season easily.

I cut mine back hard each year once the pot has dried out and the leaves fallen, but as I say, yours is still just a youngster.

This was some flowers I had a few years ago.


Should add it need some heat in summer if it is to flower well in the UK, ie. a hotspot in the garden.

 

Those are beautiful, hope ours manages to do as well. I'll bring it into the back porch for the winter I think, to be on the safe side. Thanks for Infos, @pete