Scientific Name: Justicia californica
Common Name: Chuparosa
Family: Acanthaceae, Acanthus Family
Duration: Perennial
Size: Up to 6 feet tall and almost twice as wide.
Growth Form: Shrub; rangy, open, twiggy, green succulent-like stems, stems brittle, herbage canescent puberulent, often growing in larger shrubs or trees for support and warmth.
Leaves: Green; opposite, simple, petioled, fine pubescence, deciduous (dry heat or cold) simple, ovate or cordate.
Flower Color: Red or dull red or reddish-orange; tubular funnel-form with two-lobed upper lip and three-lobed lower lip; 2 stamens, flowers on naked racemes and axillary, fruit is a capsule.
Flowering Season: Spring and throughout the year with ample water.
Comments: Chuparosa is another member of the Acanthus family found in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and California. Arizona may represent its northern most limits in North America. Chuparosa or Beloperone as it is also called is heavily used by hummingbirds as the name implies. It also makes an excellent landscape plant and is readily available in nurseries.