Anisacanthus quadrifidus

Anisacanthus quadrifidus is a species of flowering plant native to west and south-central Texas in the United States and adjacent northern Mexico down through the state of Oaxaca. It is an increasingly common ornamental shrub in Texas[2] and is cultivated in other parts of the Southwestern United States.[3]

Anisacanthus quadrifidus
Anisacanthus quadrifidus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Acanthaceae
Genus: Anisacanthus
Species:
A. quadrifidus
Binomial name
Anisacanthus quadrifidus
(Vahl) Nees
Synonyms
  • Justicia quadrifida Vahl basionym
  • Anisacanthus virgularis (Salisb.) Nees
  • Anisacanthus wrightii var. brevilobus S.H.Hagen
  • Justicia hyssopifolia Gouan ex Nees
  • Justicia superba Nees
  • Justicia virgularis Salisb.[1]
var. wrightii (Torr.) Henrickson
  • Anisacanthus junceus (Torr.) Hemsl.
  • Anisacanthus wrightii (Torr.) A.Gray
  • Drejera wrightii Torr.

Name

It is known by a variety of names including flame acanthus,[2][4] Wright's desert honeysuckle,[2][5] hummingbird bush,[2][4] Wright acanthus, Wright anisacanth,[4] Texas firecracker,[3] Mexican flame and Wright's Mexican flame. "Wright" refers to American botanist Charles Wright who collected samples of the plant in the mid-19th century. Some sources also refer to it as muicle[4] although this name is usually applied to the related Justicia spicigera when used as a traditional medicine in Central America.[6]

Habitat

It is found on rocky and dry slopes, grasslands, xerophytic scrub and Mexican pinyon forests. It is also frequently on crop banks or in sloped arid areas at heights from 1500 to 2450 meters (4920 to 8040 ft) above sea level. It adapts well to other soils when under cultivation, however, it displays poor tolerance to frost.[2]

References
  1. Anisacanthus quadrifidus en PlantList
  2. "Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii". Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  3. Martin, Chris A. "Virtual Library of Phoenix Landscape Plants". public.asu.edu. Arizona State University. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  4. "Texas Native Plants Database". Texas A&M University. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  5. "Anisacanthus quadrifidus". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  6. "Muicle". Biblioteca Digital de Medicina Tradicional Mexicana. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2017.


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