Firebush
Hamelia patens
A fast, dense shrub with tubular orange-red flowers produced nearly year-round in frost-free areas — the top hummingbird plant of South Florida and a nectar staple for zebra longwing and gulf fritillary butterflies. Black fruit follows and feeds mockingbirds and catbirds. It freezes to the ground north of its range and resprouts. Seek out the true native rather than the compact 'African' firebush sold under the same name.
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1–3 ft
- Spacing
- 1–2 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- neutral
- Bloom
- January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
- Bloom colors
- red
- Wildlife value
- butterflies, hummingbirds, songbirds
- Landscape uses
- border, hedge or screen, specimen
- Native states
- FL