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Justicia californica
Also called Chuparosa Honeysuckle
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.
It can grow to 1.5 metres (5 feet) in height and almost as wide. For a short time it bears succulent leaves about 1.5 centimetres (5⁄8 inch) in width. 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. 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 that falls open to reveal the inside of the blossom.
Being a desert plant, Justicia californica is relatively low maintenance once it has been established. It will self-propagate in a desert garden in soil that has a sandy or gravelly consistency. It typically prefers soil that drains quickly and has a pH of 6.0-8.0. Since it is drought tolerant, it requires as much sunlight exposure as possible and very little water, only needing a good soak once a month after being established.
Hummingbirds are a crucial pollinator for this plant, as its name implies, and the two have coevolved. By developing a tube-like flower structure and protruding anthers, the flower ensures pollination by coating the hummingbird's head in pollen every time it uses its long, slender beak to drink the nectar at the base of the flower. This plant is also effectively pollinated by bees that use its nectar to make honey.
Justicia californica has been found to have antimicrobial properties and thus has medicinal potential. The plant contains useful phytochemicals, phenolic compounds, and flavonoids throughout the root system, stem, and leaves. Glycosides used to treat heart disease were also present in Justicia californica.
Justicia triloba · Malabar Nut · Justicia alexandri · Justicia alpina · Orange Flame Justicia · Justicia austroguangxiensis · Shrimpplant · Justicia breedlovei · Justicia bridsoniana · Justicia burchellii · Justicia camerunensis · Brazilian-plume
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Justicia californica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
