Accession Count: 307
Common Name:
firecracker bush, Chihuahuan honeysuckle
Family Name:
Acanthaceae
Botanical Name:
Justicia spicigera
Sub Species:
Variety:
Forma:
Cultivar:
Characteristics:
Mexican honeysuckle is a small broad-leaf evergreen shrub that grows to about 1.5 m tall (5 ft) (1,2,3,5,7,9). It has herbaceous stems with fine hairs that become woody with age that grow alternately on the main stem (9). Leaves are simple, oppositely arranged on the stem, ovate, and up to 2 inches long with velvety texture (1,5,7,9). This plant is well known for bright orange tubular flowers clustered at the terminal point of the stems (1,2,3,4,5,6,7). It blooms sporadically throughout the year but has the most flowers in the spring (1,2,3). The fruits are inconspicuous green pods (1,5,9).
Compound:
Jus spi
Geographic Origin:
Northeastern Mexico, South to tropical Mexcio
Ecozone Origin:
Biome Origin:
MX
Natural History:
This plant is native to Mexico and is commonly found all over Central America and the southwestern United States (4,5,6,7,8). It grows mostly in seasonally dry tropical biomes (7,8). Before Spanish colonization, native people used this plant for a wide variety of ways (4,5,8).
Cultivation Notes:
It is drought tolerant and grows well in most soils, excluding caliche soil (1,3,6). The most important factor for growing J. spicigera is a well-draining soil; it is drought tolerant, but overwatering can inhibit flowering (1,3,5,9). It requires little pruning but can help to lightly prune the oldest woody branches during the winter after the last frost date (1,2,6,9). Prefers dappled shade but can handle full sun part of the day. Most easily propagated by vegetative stem cuttings (1,5,9).
Ethnobotany:
Mexican honeysuckle has been used as traditional medicine to control cattle and sheep diseases like parasitic infection (5). It has also been used to treat gastrointestinal and cardiac diseases, anemia, and diabetes as an antipyretic and antibiotic (8). In central America, the leaves are boiled to produce dye for crafts (4,5,8). Extracts made from the leaves have a greater capacity to eliminate free radicals within the body that the flower, but the flower extracts have the highest antioxidant activity (8). This is a popular ornamental plant because of its bright flowers which are a favorite among many butterflies and hummingbirds and makes a beautiful accent plant in any garden (1,2,3,4,5,6).
Height:
0 - 5 feet
Width:
0 - 5 feet
Growth Rate:
Moderate Growing
Grow Season:
Spring
Flower Season:
Summer
Color:
Orange
Function:
Accent
Spread:
Non-spreading
Allergen:
Non-allergenic
Invasive:
Benign
Toxicity:
Benign
Hardy:
Semi-hardy
Water Use:
Moderate Water Use
Citations:
8) Monroy, L.A. Victoria, J.R. Caamala Cauich, A.M. Martín Ortega, and M.R. Segura Campos. “Medicinal Plants as Potential Functional Foods or Resources for Obtaining Anticancer Activity Metabolites.” In Oncological Functional Nutrition, 161–94. Elsevier, 2021.https://ouci.dntb.gov.ua/en/works/7PJ1rYql/, Accessed December 19, 2024
