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Onagraceae
Hummingbird Flower
Zauschneria californica
Autumn fire and enduring attraction.
- Family
- Onagraceae
- Genus
- Epilobium
- Native to
- western United States, Mexico
- Bloom season
- Late Summer, Fall
- Type
- herbaceous perennial
- Height
- 30–60 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, rocky, sandy
- Water
- low; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- 5–10
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Also called California fuchsia, it is one of the few native plants blooming red in western US fall landscapes.
- It was recently reclassified from Zauschneria to Epilobium (willowherb genus) based on DNA evidence.
- Hummingbirds time their southward migration partly by the bloom schedule of this plant.
- The grey-green, narrow leaves are covered in fine hairs that reduce water loss in dry, rocky habitats.
- It spreads by underground rhizomes and can form colorful colonies on road cuts and rocky slopes.
Color meanings
Red
passionate vitality
Orange-Red
autumn's last blaze