Hamelia patens

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Firebush
Habitus
Habitus
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Subclass: Asteridae
(unranked) Euasterids I
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Hamelia
Species: H. patens
Binomial name
Hamelia patens
Jacq.
Synonyms

Hamelia erecta Jacq.
Hamelia nodosa M. Martens & Galeotti

Hamelia patens (Firebush, hummingbird bush, scarlet bush or "redhead") is a large perennial shrub or small tree from subtropical and tropical America. The Firebush has a native range that runs from Florida in the southern United States to as far south as Argentina.[1]

Flowers
Flowers

It has orangish-red tubular flowers, which recruit hummingbirds and butterflies for pollination[2]. Their corolla varies much in length, making it attractive to a wide range of pollinators[3]. The fruit is a small dark red berry[verification needed].

Despite its somewhat scraggy appearance, this is a valuable garden tree in warmer climates and even in temperate ones, as long as the soil remains above freezing[2]. Hummingbirds attracted by its flowers and other birds feeding on the fruit will also forage on small insects found in the vicinity, helping to keep down pests. The fruit have a refreshing, acidic taste and besides being much liked by some birds, they are also edible for humans; in Mexico, they are made into a fermented drink.

Also, the plants are used in folk medicine against a range of ailments. A number of active compounds have been found in firebush[4], but no scientific study of its medical usefulness has been conducted yet.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ USDA (2006)
  2. ^ a b Welch (2003)
  3. ^ Fenster (1991)
  4. ^ Including maruquine and isomaruquine, pteropodine and isopteropodine, palmirine, rumberine, seneciophylline and stigmast-4-ene-3,6-dione. The bark contains significant amounts of tannins. See Duke (2007).

[edit] References

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