Flame Acanthus
Scientific Name: Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. Wrightii
History/general species info: Also known as Wright Anisacanth, Hummingbird Bush, Muicle. Native from west and south-central Texas into adjacent northern Mexico. Named for Charles Wright, 1811-1885, world-wide botanical collector who collected extensively in Texas (1837-1852), Cuba, and his native Connecticut.
Characteristics: Small shrub. Semi-evergreen. Spreading. Red-orange, tubular flowers that hummingbirds and butterflies love. Light-green leaves. Does well in containers. Drought tolerant.
Native: No
Flower: Red-orange
Planting / Care: Grows in sand, loam, clay, and caliche. Deer resistant. Not salt tolerant. Low water requirement. Late to come out in the spring. Benefits from periodic (30 to 50 days) shearing or even severe cutting back in early spring and late summer. Plants are at best open and airy. Prune severely in the spring to encourage dense growth and shear monthly to encourage dense growth and new growth on which flowers are produced.
Height: 3-4’
Spread: 3’
Light requirement: Sun. Part shade
Wildlife: Hummingbirds, Butterflies.
Links:
A&M Horticulture
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/nativeshrubs/anisacanthusquadrifid.htm
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=anquw
Photo credit: Ernie Edmonson and Texas Agricultural Experiment Station
