Hamelia patens

Hamelia patens
Habitus
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Hamelia
Species: H. patens
Binomial name
Hamelia patens
Jacq., 1763
Natural range in United States
Synonyms[1]

Hamelia patens is a large perennial shrub or small tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, that is native to the American subtropics and tropics. Its range extends from Florida in the southern United States to as far south as Argentina.[2] Common names include firebush, hummingbird bush, scarlet bush and redhead.

Growth

Inflorescence

Firebush has orangish-red tubular flowers, which recruit hummingbirds and butterflies for pollination.[3] The corollas vary greatly in length, making them attractive to a wide range of pollinators.[4] The fruit is a small dark red berry, turning black at maturity.[5]

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.[3]

Uses

Hummingbirds are attracted by its flowers and other birds feed on the fruit, both of which will also forage on small insects found in the vicinity, helping to keep down pests. The fruit have a refreshing, acidic taste and are also edible by humans; in Mexico, they are made into a fermented drink.

Medicinal uses

Also, the plants are used in folk medicine against a range of ailments. A number of active compounds have been found in firebush, including maruquine, isomaruquine, pteropodine, isopteropodine, palmirine, rumberine, seneciophylline and stigmast-4-ene-3,6-dione.[6] The bark contains significant amounts of tannins. No scientific study of the medical usefulness of Hamelia patens has been conducted. In Belize this plant's Mayan Name is Ix Canaan and is also known as "Guardian of the Forest". It is valued for the leaves which are used in preparations for treating skin conditions and infections.

Gallery

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved March 13, 2014.
  2. ↑ USDA (2006)
  3. 1 2 Welch (2003)
  4. ↑ Fenster (1991)
  5. ↑ Francis, John K.
  6. ↑ Duke, Jim (2007): Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases - Hamelia patens. Retrieved 2007-SEP-19.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hamelia patens.

Data related to Hamelia patens at Wikispecies

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, January 26, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.