Common Name: Fire bush, Humming bird bush
Fire bush is planted as an ornamental in parks and house gardens in Tamilnadu. This evergreen plant grows to a height of about 2 meters and is a native of Tropical America. The young branches of the plant are greenish in color with patches of red. The leaf stalk is red in color and measure around 1 cm in length. The leaves are simple and arranged in an opposite manner; sometimes seen whorled with 3 leaves at node. The plant is slightly pubescent. The leaf length measure around 4.6 cm; the leaf shape is elliptic; tip is acute and base is cunate. The leaf margin is entire. The flowers are in the form of terminal cymes and flowers are sessile and tubular in shape. The calyx is tubular, dark red in color and measure around 3 mm. The flower is reddish orange in color and measure around 1.4 cm in length. The corolla lobes are triangular. The flower encloses 5 stamens which are epipetalous. The fruit was not located. Fire bush is often planted in butterfly and bird gardens as a nectar source plant. Fire bush is employed in Tamilnadu as an ornamental hedge plant often trimmed into various shapes and sizes.
