''Russelia equisetiformis'', the fountainbush, firecracker plant, coral plant, coral fountain, coralblow or fountain plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family or veronica family, is a large, diverse family (biology), family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as Antirrhinum, snapdragon and Digitalis, foxglove. It is unrelated ...

. This weeping

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or undershrub is either a small shrub (e.g. prostrate shrubs) or a perennial that is largely herbaceous but slightly woody at the base (e.g. garden pink and florist's chrysanthemum). The term is often interch ...

is native to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

.San Marcos Growers horticultural database: ''Russelia equisetiformis''
. accessed 12.18.2013 The Latin

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''equisetiformis'' implies the plant has a form "like/similar to ''

Equisetum ''Equisetum'' (; horsetail) is the only living genus in Equisetaceae, a family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds. ''Equisetum'' is a "living fossil", the only living genus of the entire subclass Equisetidae, which ...

''"—i.e., 'horsetail', 'horsetail rush/fern'—a genus which ''Russelia'' is only distantly related to (and which is not a true

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

genera).

Description

''Russelia equisetiformis'' is a multi-branching plant with thin leaves and arching foliage that measure around . The overall graceful form of the subshrub is a fountainesque mound. The stems and tiny oval leaves are bright green. It flowers profusely, with small,

decumbent This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

red flowers, earning the plant the common name 'firecracker fern' as it gives the impression of a bush set ablaze. It can bloom year-round in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

climates Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorolog ...

, such as

USDA Hardiness zones A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

9-10, and above. ''R. equisetiformis'' is favoured by

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

-feeding birds & insects, due in-part to the trumpet-like, rather long flowers. Hummingbirds are especially drawn to ''Russelia''.

Cultivation

''Russelia equisetiformis'' is cultivated as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

, for

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

gardens. In

locations, it is recommended to be used as feature pots or hanging planters as it can become unruly in garden settings. Various colours exist ranging from white, yellow, pale orange & shades of red. Optimal conditions for flowering is a minimum of 4 hours of sunlight. The firecracker plant is capable of ground in a diverse range of settings, This species is best grown as a sprawling bordering or cascading groundcover where it accentuates its natural tufting rush-like habit. It is equality suitable in a container (pot) as a feature. ''Russelia equisetiformis'' is especially attractive when grown in a basket, a hanging container, or otherwise cascading downwards, giving an appearance of cascading jungle cacti (like ''

Hatiora ''Hatiora'' is a small genus of epiphytic cacti which belongs to the tribe Rhipsalideae within the subfamily Cactoideae of the Cactaceae. Recent taxonomic studies have led to the three species formerly placed in subgenus ''Rhipsalidopsis'' bein ...

'' or ''

Rhipsalis ''Rhipsalis'' is a genus of epiphytic flowering plants in the cactus family, typically known as mistletoe cacti. They are found in parts of Central America, the Caribbean and northern regions of South America. They also inhabit isolated location ...

'') or the thin-leaved ''

Hoya Hoya may refer to: Places *Hoya, Germany, a city in Lower Saxony, Germany *County of Hoya, a former state in present Germany *Hōya, Tokyo, now incorporated within Nishi-tokyo, Tokyo, Japan * Hoya, Hpruso, a place in Hpruso Township, Kayah, Myanma ...

'' species '' Hoya linearis''. Once established, ''R. equisetiformis'' is moderately drought tolerant. In temperate climates, the species is known to be semi-

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

. The genus is reported to withstand temperatures down to ; still other authorities assert that it cannot tolerate temperatures below , nor can it handle frost, and therefore should be kept under glass or protected during the coldest months. In colder climates, it can overwinter as a

houseplant A houseplant, also known as a pot plant, potted plant, or indoor plant, is an ornamental plant cultivated indoors. for aesthetic or practical purposes. These plants are commonly found in House, homes, Office, offices, and various indoor spaces, w ...

with access to direct sunlight or intense artificial lighting. In the UK, ''Russelia equisetiformis'' has earned the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

(RHS)'s

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

. File:Russelia equisetiformis02.jpg File:Russelia-2.jpg File:Russelia-02.jpg

References

External links

Floridata: ''Russelia equisetiformis'' (Firecracker plant)University of Florida; IFAS Extension: — ''Russelia equisetiformis''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2987594 Plantaginaceae Flora of Mexico Flora of Guatemala Butterfly food plants House plants Garden plants of North America