Justicia californica (Chuparosa)

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Justicia californica (Benth.) D. Gibson

Chuparosa, beloperone, hummingbird bush

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Lamiales	Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary
Family	Acanthaceae	Acanthus family, of tropical herbs and shrubs
Genus	Justicia	Named for James Justice, a Scottish horticulturist
Species	californica	“Of or from California”

About plant names...

Chuparosa, Spanish for "hummingbird," is native to desert regions in North America.

Identification: Chuparosa is found in the Sonoran deserts between elevations of 1000' (304 m) and 2500' (762 m). It is a rounded shrub up to 6' (1.8 m) high and about twice as wide, with numerous gray-green branches. It drops its leaves during some seasons, but if they are present, they are grayish green, with smooth edges and soft hairs, ¼-1" (6.3-25 mm) long. Leaves may be rounded, triangular, or egg-shaped. It forms clusters of tubular scarlet or red-orange flowers, 1-2" (2.5-5 cm) long, intermittently all year. (Rarely, flowers are yellow.) Each flower has a lower petal that curls downward and back somewhat, and a yellow-orange interior. The flowers are usually oriented horizontally, perfect for the hummingbirds they attract.

Online References:

The Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association

as Compiled by the Master Gardeners of the University of Arizona Pima County Cooperative Extension

CalPhotos

Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert

Desert-tropicals.com

Desert Connections

The Sonoran Desert Naturalist

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

The Jepson Manual