Hamelia patens

firebush

Nomenclature

Common Name:

firebush

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Hamelia patens

Family:

Rubiaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

to 20 ft tall by to 10 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

red

Fruit Color:

black

Phenology:

Semi-evergreen. Blooms all year unless they freeze back.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Hurricane Wind Resistance

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen or hedge plant. Also works well in informal background thickets.

Considerations:

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Availability:

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Propagation:

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Light:

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Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Somewhat moist, no flooding -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

5.5 - 8.2

Suitable to Grow In:

9A,9B,10A,10B,11

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Hummingbirds, Birds, Mammals

Larval host for the pluto sphinx moth





Butterflies, noted for attracting zebrawing 





Attracts long-tongued bees including bumblebees.

Birds and small mammals eat the fruits and disperse seeds.





Hummingbirds come for nectar

Native Habitats:

Dry sites. Coastal forests, upland forests, hammocks.

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Closely related plants occur in the Caribbean and Central America. Yellow or orange flowering plants are not the Florida native.



In recent years plants have been found growing wild near homesites in north Florida -- what you plant can escape into the wild if planted beyond the natural range. Please plant responsibly - this plant has the potential to be invasive when used outside of its natural range.   Please act responsibly.