Field Guide/Chuparosa
Chuparosa (Hummingbird bush, Justicia californica (Beloperone californica)) | |
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Image | |
Location | |
Habitat | Along watercourses in deserts, below 2,500 ft (750 m) elevation |
Range | Northwest Mexico, Southern California and Arizona |
Flowers | |
Description | deeply divided into two lips; upper lip has two lobes, lower lip has three |
Corolla | 2.5-3.8 cm (1-1.5 in) |
Color | dull-red, tubular |
Flowering | February–June |
Notes | Flowers favored by hummingbirds |
Stems | |
Description | Densely branched |
Texture | Smooth |
Leaves | |
Description | Ovate, opposite and covered with fine hairs; mostly leafless |
Length | 1.3 cm (.5 in) |
Fruit |
The Chuparosa (hummingbird in Spanish) is a nectar-rich flowers which attracts hummingbirds, linnets and sparrows. It is said to have been eaten by the Papago tribe.