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| Common Name | Desert Honeysuckle, Thurber's Desert Honeysuckle, Chuparosa |
| Latin Name | Anisacanthus thurberi |
| Family | Acanthaceae |
| Sunset zones / USDA zones | 8-13, 18-23, H1, H2 / |
| Type / Form | Shrub / Medium |
| Native Habitat | Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts above 2,400 feet |
| Soil | Dry, decomposed granite, sand, clay loam low in organic content, well drained |
| Water | Once or twice per month during hot dry periods |
| Exposure | Full sun to part shade |
| Height X Width | To 4 feet by 6 feet |
| Protective Mechanism | None |
| Leaves | Lanceolate, opposite, entire |
| Flowers | Solitary, axillary; corollas 1 1/2", tubular, red to orange, irreg.; bloom Apr.-Oct. Fruit: stalked, flattened, 4-seeded capsules. The lovely orange to red flowers superficially resemble those of honeysuckles (family Caprifoliaceae), but this plant is in the acanthus family (Acanthaceae). Members of this family are characterized by their seeds, which are borne on hooked projections. |
| Bark / Roots | A woody shrub mostly 1 to 2 m tall. Bark of older stems turns white with stringy shreds |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Propagation | Seed |
| Pests and diseases | |
| Landscape uses | Low maintenance, rock garden, cut flowers |
| Garden Suitability | Butterfly, Hummingbird, Sonoran, Thornless |
| Nature Value | Nectar favored by hummingbirds and invertebrates |
| Native American Uses | |
| Links | |
| Images and data | http://wc.pima.edu/Bfiero/tucsonecology/plants/shrubs_deho.htm |
| Images and data | http://www.gardenguides.com/taxonomy/thurbers-desert-honeysuckle-anisacanthus-thurberi/ |
| Images and data | http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ANPU6 |
| Images and data | http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/129006/ |
| Images and data | http://www.arizonensis.org/sonoran/fieldguide/plantae/anisacanthus.html |
| Images and data | http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?fotogID=710&curPageNum=1&recnum=ts0958 |
| Images and data | http://www.tucsonbotanical.org/desertconnections/page-display-2.php?plantid=57 |
| Images and data | http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2005/07/03/thurbers-desert-honeysuckle-in-july/ |
| Images and data | http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Acanthaceae/Anisacanthus_thurberi.html |
| Images and data | http://www.delange.org/HoneySuckleThurbers/HoneySuckleThurbers.htm |
| Nursery | Oak Hills Nursery, 13874 Ranchero Road, Oak Hills, 92345, 760-947-6261 |
| Distribution map | http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ANISA |