This native biennial wildflower is grown as a half-hardy annual though, through reseeding, it can remain in the garden for many years. Sow seed into lightly raked soil in the fall to propagate. Plants produce a fern-like rosette the first year and a flower spike the second. Cutting back the spent flower spike will force a second bloom. The bright red, showy, tubular flowers arranged to bloom downward on the thick spike attract hummingbirds. It prefers well-drained soil from gravelly to sandy or medium loam. It grows in full sun but can tolerate light shade and can be drought tolerant and deer resistant.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Soft
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Finely divided compound leaves have a feathery appearance and are up to 1 inch long. Starts out as a rosette the first year the sends up a leafy stalk the second year and has a similar look to fennel until it blooms
Flower color
Red/Burgundy
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Star; Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The terminal panicle of tubular red flowers that have 5 flared petals. The inside of the flowers is marked with orange or yellowish spots.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Two-section capsule containing shiny black seeds
Stem color
Green
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeastern United States
Distribution
AL , AR , DE , FL , GA , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , MI , MO , MS , NC , NJ , NY , OH , OK , SC , TN , TX , VA , WI