Parrot's Beak

Did you know

• Each curved red flower looks exactly like a miniature parrot's beak—or a flame, or a tropical bird in flight—bursting from silver fern-like foliage.
• Parrot's beak is functionally extinct in the wild—it grew only on Tenerife and La Palma in the Canary Islands, and the original sunbird pollinator that visited it has gone extinct, leaving the wild flowers unable to set seed.
• Despite being a horticultural staple in mild climate gardens worldwide, the plant has not been confidently observed flowering in the wild for over 100 years—it survives only in cultivation.
• The silvery-blue feathery foliage is as much an attraction as the flowers—it cascades dramatically over the edges of pots and walls, looking like a frozen silver waterfall.
• Parrot's beak is in the same genus as common bird's-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)—a striking case of one ordinary roadside weed being closely related to one of the world's most exotic island endemics.

Color meanings

Uses

• Hanging baskets
• Container gardens
• Mediterranean gardens
• Conservation