Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium – Hummingbird Trumpet

Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium - Hummingbird Trumpet, Zauschneria

Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium - Hummingbird Trumpet, Zauschneria

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium

Synonyms: Zauschneria californica, Z. latifolia

Common Names: Hummingbird Trumpet, Zauschneria

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Subshrub, Herb/Forb

Arizona Native Status: Native

Habitat: Desert, Upland, Mountain, Riparian (at lower elevations). This wildflower grows in and along rocky, sandy washes in canyons, typically those that have flowing water for at least part of the year.

Flower Color: Red

Flowering Season: Summer, Fall (until a hard frost)

Height: To 2 feet (61 cm) tall

Description: The flowers are 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) long and tubular with 4, notched lobes. In good years with sufficient water and mild autumn weather, the plants can be covered in a mass of flaming red flowers. The leaves are dark green, linear to ovate in shape, and may have toothed edges. This subspecies has broader, greener leaves than the main species, which has grayer, narrower leaves.

Special Characteristics

Butterfly Plant – When blooming plants grow scarce in autumn, the flowers attract late season butterflies, especially Whites and Sulphurs (Family Pieridae).

Hummingbird Flower – The nectar-filled flowers attract hummingbirds. If you wait near a blooming Hummingbird Trumpet, you have an excellent chance of spotting a hummingbird. Although it grows wild here, this plant is also available in plant nurseries and makes a great addition to a hummingbird garden.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Myrtales
Family: Onagraceae – Evening Primrose family
Genus: Epilobium L. – willowherb
Species: Epilobium canum (Greene) P.H. Raven – hummingbird trumpet
Subspecies: Epilobium canum (Greene) P.H. Raven ssp. latifolium (Hook.) P.H. Raven – hummingbird trumpet

More About This Plant

Arizona County Distribution Map