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Mexican honeysuckles , botanically call Justicia Spicigera(jus - TEE - see - ah , spik - EE - ger - uh ) , belong to the acanthus family ( Acanthaceae ) and are autochthonous to the United States – Mexico and South America .
Other Popular Plants from the Acanthaceae Family :
Photo Credit: Instagram @ribeswrench
This evergreen shrub is widely found in India for its bright orange tree flowers and indulgent , velvety leaves .
Due to its typical coming into court , the herbaceous plant has collect several common epithet .
These include :
The repeated shrub also has three popular name :
Mexican Honeysuckle Care
Size and Growth
The herbaceous bush has a moderate growing charge per unit , reaching the average stature of 4 ’ – 6 ’ foot tall and a width of 3 ’ – 4 ’ feet .
At maturity date , the shrub has orange plume flowers with evergreen plant pointy leave ( 3 ” inches long ) .
The prominent orange flowers and big green leaves are supported by easygoing , sticker - less stem .
With years , these herbaceous stem become woody from top to bottom .
Flowering and Fragrance
Mexican honeysuckle produces orangish vasiform flower colors in the bloom season ( summertime and fall ) .
These glossy flowers are equal to to maturate all yr long in clime zones with no freezing temperatures .
At maturity , the soft and velvety flowers grow up to 1 ” – 2 ” inches in size of it .
Unlike many sweetened - scented motley of Australian honeysuckle plant , this evergreen plant shrub has a slightly spicy smell to it and is attractive to hummingbirds .
Light and Temperature
Even though the firecracker plant may thrive in full sunshine , it performs best in filtered light .
identify the plant in a part - shade location to revel the existent knockout of the sensational leaf and flowers .
The USDA hardiness zona of the recurrent shrub is from 8 to 11 .
While the plant life is heat and drouth large-minded to some extent , it dies easy at temperature below 25 ° degrees Fahrenheit ( -4 ° C ) .
Watering and Feeding
Mexican Honeysuckles have metier to low tearing pauperism .
When fresh cultivated , the industrial plant needs to be watered almost regularly to instal the root organization .
Avoid overwatering or under - watering or else the farewell may turn grisly yellow .
As the plant becomes well - established , the lacrimation necessity drop considerably .
Unlike the young works , the mature Mexican Banksia integrifolia only prefer watering once or twice a month to stimulate blooming .
The medium - sized plant smartly grows on its own and does well without fertiliser .
However , to encourage inflorescence , hold a low - nitrogen fertilizer , once or twice a year .
Soil and Transplanting
Justicia Spicigera prefer moist and well - drained soil for long , goodish life .
It tolerates various types of dirt , as long as it enfeeble well .
The suitable soil pH floor is from 6.6 ( neutral ) to 8.5 ( alkaline ) .
For a successful Mexican honeysuckle graft , take the ripe time is crucial .
In a nerveless , chilly time of year , the plant goes inactive which is the perfect time to graft .
root word pruning is an important step to consider when transplant .
This procedure help sever the largest root and prepare the shorter ones to transplant with the root ball .
Dig a fresh hole in a partial shade location with access code to unfiltered sunshine .
apprehend a tumid hole , twice the size of the root ball , and mildly place the root ball inside it .
spread over it completely with grunge and compost . Water the territory and root globe soundly for several hebdomad .
Grooming and Maintenance
How to Propagate Justicia Spicigera
Mexican honeysuckles are often propagate through deal cut in summertime and hardwood cut in dip .
Justicia Spicigera Pests and Diseases
In warm climates , Mexican honeysuckles often suffer from fungi diseases such as eutypa dieback , diaporthe stem canker , hypoxylon , leaf blight , and phoma stem .
The repeated bush is dependent to the pest attack by whiteflies .
Mexican Honeysuckles Uses
This evergreen plant shrub has been apply for the intervention of several health conditions .
It is also used in making a deep drab dyestuff color and as the master constituent in laundry brighteners .
The folio of the edible plant are also used for make tea .
