Anisacanthus thurberi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Anisacanthus thurberi | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Genus: | Anisacanthus |
| Species: | A. thurberi |
| Binomial name | |
| Anisacanthus thurberi | |
Anisacanthus thurberi, also known as Thurber's desert honeysuckle, buckbrush, or desert honeysuckle,[1] is a deciduous species of perennial flowering shrub in the family Acanthaceae.[2][3] It is native to the Sonoran Desert, and can be found in south and central Arizona, as well as southwest New Mexico.[4][5]
It is an erect, woody shrub growing between 1 and 2 meters (3 and 7 feet).[4] Its spreading branches are covered in pale bark and clusters of small green leaves that grow 4–6 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide.[1]
Inflorescences are small groups of conspicuous orange or red flowers that are tubular, 2–3.5 cm long, and have a strap-shaped upper lip with one lobe above and three lobes below.[1] Within the flowers are two long, protruding red stamens capped with yellow anthers and a longer white style.[4]
Range
Relatively rare within the United States, it is native only to Arizona, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.[6] It can be found throughout much of Arizona—predominantly the southern and central parts of the state, in the Sonoran Desert—and the southwestern corner of New Mexico, with large populations also growing in northern Mexico.[6]
