Chuparosa

Chuparosa, also known as beloperone and honeysuckle, is found in the Sonoran Desert of southeastern California, southern Arizona, northwestern Mexico and throughout Baja, California. The plant below was at the Visitors Center in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

It is a grayish-green shrub that grows up to five feet high. This one, found in Estes Canyon in Organ Pipe, is less well-defined.

It is mostly leafless and has dense, soft, hairy branches. The leaves are oval and grow 1/2 to 1 inch long.

The leaves fall off during cold or drought. Both leaves and branches are covered with fine hairs. It has tubular, long, deep-red, or sometimes yellow, flowers that bloom on and off throughout the year.

The flower has a wide lower lip that falls open to reveal the inside. The upper lip is two-lobed and the lower lip is three-lobed. The yellow anthers that come out between the lips have white tips.

Chuparosa, means "sucking rose" or hummingbird in Spanish and is popular among hummingbirds for its nectar. Quail eat the seeds.