Scientific: Dicliptera squarrosa (Synonyms: Diapedium squarrosum, Dicliptera suberecta, Dicliptera tweedieana, Jacobinia suberecta, Justicia abnormis)
Common: King's crown, wooly honeysuckle, hummingbird bush
Family: Acanthaceae
Origin: Uraguay in South America
Pronounciation: Di-clip-TEAR-a square-OO-sa
Hardiness zones
Sunset 10-24
USDA 7-11
Landscape Use: Landscape borders as a flowering accent shrub in oasis (mixed or transition) water use design motifs, hanging baskets, hummingbirds.
Form & Character: Open (unless well irrigated), demure, vulnerable, spreading, informal.
Growth Habit: Evergreen, mostly herbaceous, broadleaf perennial, moderately sprawling to 3-feet tall with a greater spread.
Foliage/Texture: Leaves are ovate to 2.5-inches long (mostly smaller), grayish green, velvety tomentose on arching tomentose grayish green stems, very short petioles; medium texture.
Flowers & Fruits: Brick red to orange flowers many on a terminal cymes subtended by 2 to 4 conspicuous but not showy bracts, corolla tubular, brick red to 1.75-inches long, fruit an ovoid to sub-orbicular cap.
Seasonal Color: Spring and fall flowers.
Temperature: Cold hardy and heat tolerant to 115oF.
Light: Full sun, avoid reflected light, partial western shade best.
Soil: Tolerant as long as soils are well drained.
Watering: Regular water in summer, otherwise none needed during cooler times of the year.
Pruning: Head back in late winter to encourage robust re-growth during spring.
Propagation: Softwood cuttings during late spring.
Disease and Pests: Root rot in poorly drained soils especially if the plants are over irrigated.
Additional comments: King's crown is little used in the Phoenix area, but probably should be. It's an excellent flowering accent shrub that flowers attract hummingbirds. Overall, it looks a lot like a smaller version of well-irrigated Justicia californica.
Minor taxonomic factoid: The genus Dicliptera consists of over 150 species from tropical and temperate regions worldwide.
