Firecracker Bush
Bouvardia ternifolia

Family: Rubiaceae

Deciduous shrub, 4x3’. Summer into fall clusters of long, orange-red, tubular flowers appear. Small globose capsules follow the flowers.

Part sun to shade, moderate water, good drainage. Hardy to 10° F.

Firecracker bush is the sole larval food plant of the Falcon Sphinx Moth, Xylophanes falco which is one of the most spectacular-looking caterpillars in southern Arizona. Look for them in August into September. Hummingbird pollinated.

Root used by indigenous people in northern Mexico as a cardiac stimulant, to treat dysentery, hydrophobia, and heat exhaustion, and to stop bleeding.

There are 57 species of Bouvardia native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America. Bouvardia is named for Charles Bouvard (1572-1658) who was superintendent of the Jardin du Roi in Paris; ternifolia means 3-leaved, referring to the whorls of three leaves per node, though there are also sometimes 4 leaves per node in this species. Formerly known as Bouvardia glaberrima.

This species is found on rocky slopes and canyon bottoms from 2,500-8,000 ft. in southern Arizona, southern New Mexico, southern Texas; south to southern Mexico.

Photo by Max Licher, SEINET

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