Common names:
California fuchsia, hummingbird flower, hummingbird trumpet
Family:
Scientific name:
Epilobium canum
Main flower color:
Range:
In California, Arizona and Utah, plus smaller areas of other western states
Height:
Up to 3 feet
Habitat:
Sunny hillsides, from low to high elevations, and along watery canyons
Leaves:
Ovate to lanceolate, around an inch long, with pointed tips, and covered with very short, fine hairs
Season:
August to October
The long (up to 2.5 inches) tubular red flowers of epilobium canum, a shrub like plant with woody lower stems, are large and pretty, consisting of eight tepals, all curved outwards at the tips, and eight tightly-clustered stamens which project forwards by about the length of the tube. The plant branches readily and each stem bears many small green leaves, so the overall appearance is of a dense bush, which may have hundreds of flowers during optimum growing conditions. The blooming season is relatively late, from midsummer into fall. The long narrow flowers attract hummingbirds.
All Contents © Copyright The American Southwest | Comments and Questions | Contribute | Site Map