Plant · GBIF taxon 2902066
Firebush
Hamelia patensAlso known as Hummingbird Bush, Scarlet Bush, Redhead, Ix Canaan
Bright tubular flowers in shades of fiery orange and scarlet bloom continuously throughout warm months, providing an essential nectar supply for hummingbirds and butterflies. As the blossoms fade, clusters of small berries mature from green to red and dark purple, feeding a wide variety of songbirds. This sprawling evergreen shrub thrives in sunny thickets, forest edges, and tropical gardens from Florida all the way south to Argentina.
EvergreenFloweringAttracts Pollinators
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Sunlight
- Water
- Soil nutrients
Predators
- Caterpillars
- Spider mites
- Aphids
ThreatsHabitat loss, severe frost, competition from invasive non-native plants
HabitatsSubtropical forests, thickets, coastal hammocks, garden borders
Life span15–30 years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderGentianales
- FamilyRubiaceae
- GenusHamelia
- SpeciesHamelia patens
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Wild berries have toxic look-alikes; never eat based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Planting: Position in full sun to partial shade for the most abundant blooms.
- Observation: Sit quietly nearby during early morning hours to watch visiting hummingbirds.
- Pruning: Cut back lightly in early spring to encourage bushy growth and continuous flowering.
Pollinator jeffreyw / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
Pollinator (c) Judy Gallagher, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Forest and Kim Starr, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
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