Justicia californica

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; (Benth.) D. Gibson
Synonyms
	Beloperone californica

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]

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

[:0-1] ^ ^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.

[1]