Shrub · Sonoran native
Chuparosa
Justicia californica · Acanthaceae
Also called: Chuparosa, Beloperone, Hummingbird bush, Desert honeysuckle
Chuparosa (Justicia californica) is a low-water shrub native to the Sonoran Desert region well suited to Tucson and the low desert. It thrives in full sun to part shade, with a moderate growth rate.
Chuparosa at a glance
- Water use
- Low (established)
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade; flowers best in full sun but tolerates light shade.
- Mature size
- 3-5 ft H x 4-6 ft W (occasionally to 6 ft wide).
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Bloom
- Tubular flowers, typically bright red to orange-red (an uncommon yellow-flowered form exists)., Mainly late winter through spring (peak roughly February-May), with scattered bloom much of the year given moisture and warmth.
- Cold hardiness
- Hardy to about 20-25 F (USDA zones 9-11); frost-sensitive tips may die back in hard freezes but recover.
- Soil
- Needs good drainage; tolerates rocky, sandy, and alkaline desert soils. Naturally grows along washes and appreciates occasional deep moisture.
- Native range
- Native to the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, southeastern California, and northwestern Mexico (Baja California, Sonora).
- Best used as
- Hummingbird and pollinator gardens, Informal mounding accent, Wash and revegetation plantings, Color among boulders and cactus, Wildlife/habitat gardens
- Wildlife
- A premier hummingbird plant ('chuparosa' means hummingbird); also feeds bees and butterflies. Seeds eaten by birds.
- Toxicity
- Non-toxic; flowers are edible with sweet nectar and have traditionally been eaten by people.
How to grow Chuparosa in Tucson & the low desert
Watering
Water established plants deeply every 1-3 weeks in summer for best appearance and bloom; drought-deciduous, dropping leaves in extreme drought and leafing out again with water. Green stems remain photosynthetic when bare.
Fertilizer & nutrients
Little to no fertilizer required in desert soils; an optional light spring feeding can support denser growth and flowering.
Pruning & care
Lightly prune after the main spring bloom to shape and remove dead or frost-damaged stems and to control its sprawling, twiggy habit; can be cut back hard to rejuvenate leggy plants. Avoid heavy shearing.
Notes
A drought-deciduous Sonoran native with a tangled, green-stemmed mounding habit; the green bark photosynthesizes when leaves are shed. One of the best year-round hummingbird shrubs for Tucson. Formerly placed in genus Beloperone. Looks best with periodic irrigation that keeps it leafy.
Sources: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; AMWUA Landscape Plants for the Arizona Desert; University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; Tohono Chul