Hummingbirds
love this plant!
Sam Kieschnick
I have yet to meet anyone who does not enjoy watching
hummingbirds.
These minute creatures may be the most actively
interesting group of organisms on the planet. Their
little wings beat around 20 to 30 times per second! The
Aztecs of Mexico and Central America were especially
fond of these little birds. Their word for hummingbird is
“huitzil.” Say this word, and it sounds like a hummingbird
buzzing away.
To support this highly active life, hummingbirds need
high energy nectar from many different plants. One
great native plant for Texas is the Hummingbird Bush
(Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii).
The Hummingbird Bush, also called Flame Acanthus,
Wright’s Honeysuckle, and Wright’s Anisacanthus, is
native to the rocky regions of the Edwards Plateau in
west-central Texas. This shrub to subshrub grows to 3
to 4 feet vertically and can stretch out about 3 to 4 feet
horizontally as well. It does well in various soil types
from clay to sand to rock. It blooms in full sun, but I
believe it can tolerate a bit of shade and still pop out a
few flowers.
In summer and early fall, the plant produces showy red
or orange blossoms. It’s actually been called a “profuse
bloomer.” These half inch long tubular flowers are mighty
attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies alike. Because
it produces such a multitude of flowers, hummingbirds
will spend much of the day visiting a single large plant. I
always enjoy watching them zip from one flower to the
next.
Hummingbird Bush is in Acanthaceae, or the Acanthus
family. The family has around 2,500 species in about 250
genera. In Texas, representative species are American
Water-Willow (Justicia americana), Wild Petunias (Ruellia
Photo by Bill Lindemann
sp.), an