Shrubby Toothedthread (Odontonema tubaeforme) Bertoloni, 1840

 

Synonyms: Odontonema tubiforme, Justicia tubaeformis, Odontonema flagellum, Odontonema strictum, Thyrsacanthus flagellum, fire spike, Mexican firespike. See The Plant List for more synonyms.

 

 

Odontonema tubaeforme is native to Mexico and Central America (from Belize through Panama). A showy garden plant, it was introduced in Florida, Hawaii, Trinidad, India, Australia, where escaped from cultivation and established in local habitats. It naturally grows along the edges of tropical moist forest, in savanna, and disturbed areas. O. tubaeforme is a woody or herbaceous shrub, 1-6 m in height. The leaves are opposite, simple with wavy margins and long pointed tips. The bright-red tubular waxy flowers are produced in terminal or axillary panicles. The flowers attract hummingbirds, lepidopterans, and bees.

 

		D31556 Shrubby Toothedthread (Odontonema tubaeforme)* Brasso Seco, Trinidad Trinidad and Tobago Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D31558 Shrubby Toothedthread (Odontonema tubaeforme)* Brasso Seco, Trinidad Trinidad and Tobago Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
* photographed outside of its native range
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