Justicia californica

Common Name: Hummingbird Bush, Chuparosa, Beloperone
O'odham Name: Wipismal Je:j Audio
Group: Shrubs - Desert

Description

Justicia californica is a large shrub consisting of many stiff, normally leafless gray-green stems. It grows in coarse soils and in washes between 1000 and 3500 ft elevation. During Springtime and the Monsoon, the stems produce large triangular leaves. Butterflies and hummingbirds (in Spanish, "Chuparosa") gather nectar from the flowers which are brilliant red, or occasionally, yellow in color.

Classification

Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Asteridae
Order Scrophulariales
Family Acanthaceae – Acanthus family
Genus Justicia L. – water-willow
Species Justicia californica (Benth.) D. Gibson – beloperone

More Information

Arizona Distribution Map (USDA)