Justicia californica is a species of flowering shrub native to the deserts of southern California, Arizona, and northern Mexico. Its common names include chuparosa (or chiparosa, both colloquial Spanish terms for “hummingbird”), hummingbird bush, and beloperone.
It is one of the northernmost distributed species of the mostly tropical genus Justicia.This plant has over 400 cousins that are brightly blooming shrubs occurring in the tropics and subtropics, but the Justicia californica desert scrub in the only one growing wild in the temperate United States.
The Chuparosa is a low bush which grows in dry, hot regions in the sand or rocky terrain of the desert floor. For a short time it bears succulent leaves. It loses its leaves and then produces plentiful tubular flowers, usually in shades of bright to deep red, or sometimes yellow. Each long flower has a wide lower lip that falls open to reveal the inside of the blossom. Hummingbirds visit the bush to feed on the nectar. Other birds eat the sugar-rich flower centers. This plant is sometimes cultivated as a landscape ornamental in desert regions for its bright flowers and to attract birds.
Frost-sensitive, these plants grow in sandy desert washes and on rocky slopes.
These plants bloom in the early spring through early summer.
Characterized as a downy shrub that will reach a height of between two to four feet and a width of four feet, it bears arching flower pendants to 3 or 4 inches long.