Justicia californica is a deciduous species of flowering shrub native to the deserts of southern California, southern Arizona, and northern Mexico. Its common names include beloperone, chuparosa (from the Spanish: chuparrosa for hummingbird) and hummingbird bush.[1]
| Justicia californica | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Genus: | Justicia |
| Species: | J. californica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Justicia californica | |
| Synonyms | |
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Beloperone californica | |
It can grow to 1.5 metres (5 feet) in height and almost as wide.[1] For a short time it bears succulent leaves about 1.5 centimetres (5⁄8 inch) in width.[1] It loses its leaves and then produces plentiful tubular flowers about 2.5–4 cm (1–1+5⁄8 in) long between February and June.[1] These are usually in shades of bright to deep red, or sometimes yellow, with a two-lobed upper lip and a wide three-lobed lower lip[1] that falls open to reveal the inside of the blossom.
It is one of the northernmost distributed species of the mostly tropical genus Justicia. This is a low bush which grows in watered areas of dry, hot sandy regions or rocky terrain of the desert floor, usually below 750 m (2,460 ft) above sea level.[1]
Hummingbirds visit the bush to feed on the nectar. Other birds eat the sugar-rich flower centers. This plant is sometimes cultivated as a landscape ornamental in desert regions for its bright flowers and to attract birds.
The plant is thought to have been eaten by Native Americans of the Southwest.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev ed.). Knopf. p. 323. ISBN 978-0-375-40233-3.
External links
edit
Media related to Justicia californica at Wikimedia Commons- Jepson Manual Treatment
- USDA Plants Profile
- Wildflower account
- Photo gallery
