Plant Spotlight

By Jacob Barrett, The Longleaf Alliance

Groundcover PLANT SPOTLIGHT

Macranthera flammea (Bartr.) Pennell

Hummingbird Flower Boomrape Family – Orobanchaceae

Description Hummingbird flower, also known as flameflower, is a striking biennial herbaceous plant due to its remarkable height (up to 10 feet tall) and numerous, brilliant orange flowers. Its leaves are 3-4 inches long, deeply lobed, and toothed with tiny hairs on the leaf margin, arranged opposite on square-shaped, erect stems.

Flowering from July to September, 1-inch-long orange flowers occur on erect clusters up to 2 feet long at the tip of the stems. Plants are hemiparasitic, capable of photosynthesis but also relying on underground connections to host plants for additional resources. Plants turn black when dried.

Distribution & Habitat Hummingbird flower is a wetland obligate located within the coastal plain of Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. It can be found in seepage slopes, wet streamside thickets, pitcher plant bogs, edges of cypress-gum ponds, and utility rights-of-way through these habitats. It is semi-parasitic on the roots of black gum, bayberry, blackberry, tulip poplar, and other wetland shrubs and trees. Conservation Status Across the Hummingbird flower’s range, it is recognized as G3 (globally imperiled), and within each respective state, it is listed from S1 (state critically imperiled) to S3 (state vulnerable).

Wildlife Value As its name implies, this species is quite popular and a very important nectar source for migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbirds before their trans-Gulf migration.

Protection and Management Apply prescribed fire every 2-3 years after wetlands have dried, and fuels are available to burn. Avoid altering the hydrology of streams and wetlands. Eradicate feral hogs and limit off-road vehicle access.

References Chafin, L.G. 2007. Field guide to the rare plants of Georgia.

State Botanical Garden of Georgia and University of

Georgia Press, Athens. NatureServe. 2022. NatureServe Explorer [web application].

NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available https://explorer.natureserve.org. (Accessed: February 22, 2022.)