Carried by 23 nurseries
View Availability at NurseryData provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria
View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora
Chuparosa (Justicia californica) is a beautiful, multi-stemmed shrub with many red flowers. The plant is usually leafless while in bloom. Chuparosa grows fast to 6 feet high and 6 feet wide and is somewhat sprawling. This is a low bush which grows in dry, hot regions in the sand or rocky terrain of the desert floor For a short time it bears succulent green leaves that are smaller than the eventual tubular flowers. The flowers are shades of bright to deep red, or sometimes yellow and appear in late winter into summer, making the bush a blaze of color.
This desert plant likes full sun and well-draining, rocky, gravelly or sandy soil. It is drought-tolerant and can be cut back in fall to refresh its growth.
Its common names include hummingbird bush because hummingbirds love to feed upon the flower’s nectar. Chuparosa, another of its names, is Spanish for hummingbird.
Shrub
2 - 4 ft Tall
4 ft Wide
Mounding
Moderate
Summer Deciduous
None
Red, Orange, Yellow
Spring
Containers, Hedge
Full Sun
Very Low, Low
Max 1x / month once established
Moderate
Tolerates cold to 25° F
Fast
Prefers sandy or decomposed granite soil.
Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0
It will self-seed in a desert garden
12, 13*, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23*, 24
Gravelly, sandy washes, canyon bottoms and alluvial fans of the Colorado Desert
Creosote Bush Scrub
Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis ssp. arcuata), California Fan Palm, Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata), Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens ssp. splendens), Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis), Blue Paloverde, White Bursage (Ambrosia dumosa), Barrel Cactus, Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa), Indigo Bush, Apricot Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua var. rugosa), Opuntia spp., numerous annual wildflowers
Butterflies and moths supported
1 confirmed and 2 likely