General Landscape Uses:
Understory shrub or small tree.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast and central Florida. Rarely grown by native plant nurseries in the Florida Panhandle.
Description: Clump-forming shrub or small tree with single or multiple trunks and a spreading crown. Five-parted compound leaves 6 inches long. Showy red, tubular flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Dimensions: Typically 6-20 feet in height with a 6-20 feet spread; to 36 feet in Florida. As tall as broad or taller.
Growth Rate: Slow.
Range:
Southeastern United States south to Orange, Lake, and Sumpter counties. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the
Exploring Florida website.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.
Habitats: Calcerous hammocks, moist woodlands
Soils: Moist, well-drained limestone or calcareous sandy soils, with humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun to moderate shade. More densly branched and more abundant flowers when grown in full sun.
Flower Color: Red
Flower Characteristics: Tubular flowers in showy groups on top of branches.
Flowering Season: February to April.
Fruit: Round, golden-brown capsule.
References: Mellichamp (
2014), Nelson (
2003),
Comments: Seeds and leaves are poisonous to people and pets.
See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page. We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page.
