Justicia spicigera (Mexican honeysuckle)

Justicia spicigera Schltdl.

Mexican honeysuckle, mohintli, firecracker bush, orange plume flower

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Lamiales	Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary
Family	Acanthaceae	Acanthus family, of tropical herbs and shrubs
Genus	Justicia	Named for James Justice, a Scottish horticulturist
Species	spicigera

About plant names...

Mexican honeysuckle is native to Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.

Here is a comparison of Mexican honeysuckle and several “true” honeysuckles.

4/10/2015 · Naples Botanical Garden, Naples, Florida
≈ 15 × 12" (39 × 31 cm)

	*Lonicera fragrantissima*	*Lonicera japonica*	*Lonicera sempervirens*
Common Name	winter honeysuckle	Japanese honeysuckle	trumpet honeysuckle
Plant	Shrubs are 3-9½' (1-3 m) around	A vine up to 16' (5 m) in size. Young stems are reddish- or light-brown, while older stems are hollow, with peeling bark	Trumpet honeysuckle is a twining vine 3-20' (91-609 cm) long, depending upon what it has to climb over. Bark is orange-brown, and peeling.
Flowers	Blooms are a creamy white color, in pairs, appearing in March-April, and very fragrant, with a lemony smell	Flowers are white, showy, fragrant, about 1" (2.5 cm) in size. They fade to a yellow color, so the vine appears to have *white and yellow flowers*	In clusters of 2-4, each red or orange with *yellow interiors, 1-2" (2.5-5 cm) long, trumpet-shaped*. They appear from April to July.
Leaves	Leaves are opposite, roughly oval, with smooth edges	Leaves are opposite, roughly oval-shaped, with smooth edges. Younger leaves may have lobes	Roughly oval in shape, opposite, bluish green, and 1-3" (2.5-7.6 cm) long. Leaves at the base of flowers are fused at the base.
Fruit	Orange to red berries up to ⅜" (1 cm) across	Black, about ⅛" (3.2 mm) around	Berries are orange-red to deep red in color
Range/ Zones	USDA Zones: 4-8		USDA Zones: 4-9
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild
Occurrence

	*Lonicera tatarica*	You are here Justicia spicigera
Common Name	Tatarian honeysuckle	Mexican honeysuckle
Plant	Densely branched shrub, up to 10-12' (3-3.7 m) around	3-4' (91-121 cm) high and 4-6' (1.2-1.8 m) around
Flowers	Pairs of flowers, each about ¾" (1.9 cm) around, may be white, pink, or rose. Each flower has *five spatula-shaped*, somewhat unruly-looking petals, and five anthers	Bright orange, *tubular* in shape
Leaves	Leaves are oval in shape, with smooth edges and a bluish cast, 1½-2½" (3.8-6.3 cm) long × 1-1½" (2.5-3.8 cm) wide, in opposite pairs	Roughly oval, soft and velvety, up to 3" (7.6 cm) long
Fruit	Berries are orange to red, about ¼" (6.3 mm) in diameter, often lasting through the winter
Range/ Zones		USDA Zones: 9-10
Type	Wild	Wild
Occurrence	Common to invasive

Identification: Mexican honeysuckle is an evergreen shrub 3-4' (91-121 cm) high and 4-6' (1.2-1.8 m) around. Leaves are roughly oval, soft and velvety, up to 3" (7.6 cm) long. Flowers are bright orange, tubular in shape, and attractive to hummingbirds.

Online References:

Justicia spicigera on Desert-tropicals.com

Justicia spicigera on cals.arizona.edu

Justicia spicigera at Chris A. Martin's site at Arizona State University

Justicia spicigera at Top Tropicals

Justicia spicigera on Desert Connections

Justicia spicigera on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

Justicia spicigera description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 16 Sep 2020.