Thyrsacanthus strictus Nees
Odontonema tubiforme (Bertol.) Kuntze
Firespike
Firepsike is native to Central America, but popular with gardeners and naturalized in many other tropical locales. They are invasive in Hawaii, French Polynesia, Samoa, the Galápagos Islands, and Cuba.
Plants: Shrubs are 5–9½′ (1.5–3 m) tall.
Leaves: Opposite, glossy, ovate to elliptic, 1½–12 ⨉ ½–5″ (3.9–31 ⨉ 1.5–13 cm), on stalks (petioles) up to 1″ (3 cm) long.
Flowers: Flowerheads are loose or dense radiating spikes of tubular crimson flowers. Each flower is about ⅜″ (1 cm) in diameter. Flowers persist most of the year.
Fruits: Capsules containing a few seeds literally explode when they dry out, spreading the seeds. The seeds are equipped with hook-like structures (retinacula) that also aid in dispersal.
Habitats: Wet tropical biomes.
Online References:
Odontonema strictum (Nees) Kuntze
Thyrsacanthus strictus Nees
Thyrsacanthus strictus Nees
11/16/2018 · Puerto Rico · By Heather A. Kent 
11/16/2018 · Puerto Rico · By Heather A. Kent 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| 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 | Odontonema | From Latin Odonto, “mouth or teeth”, and nema, “thread,” referring to the toothed filaments of the stamen |
| Species | tubiforme | Tubular |
Odontonema tubiforme description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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