East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands
Plant Characteristics
Growth Form
Shrub
Height
2
to
6
ft.
Spread
3
to
5
ft.
Leaf Retention
Deciduous
Lifespan
Perennial
Habitat and Care Requirements
Soil Type(s)
Sand, Clay, Limestone, Well Drained, Moist, Dry
Light Requirement
Sun, Shade
Water Requirement
Low, Medium
Native Habitat
Grassland, Woodland
Bloom and Attraction
Bloom Color
Red
Bloom Season
Summer, Fall
Seasonal Interest
Fruit, Nectar, Pollen
Wildlife Benefit
Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals, Hummingbirds, Bees
Maintenance
Drought tolerant and grows in a variety of dry to moist soils. Especially useful in shady situations. Spreads easily, remove or transplant young seedlings. Propagation: Seed.
Comments
Blooms June-November. Spreading shrub, forming expanding colonies, but easy to contain. Bright-red, pendant, hibiscus-like flowers never fully open, their petals overlapping to form a loose tube with the stamen protruding – said to resemble a Turkish turban. Fruit for wildlife; attracts birds, hummingbirds and butterflies. Nectar attracts: Cloudless Giant Sulphur.
References
1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48, 53. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 251. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAARD. 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=28151&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=21843#null, 7) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.
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