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Island Snapdragon
Gambelia speciosa
  
About Island Snapdragon (Gambelia speciosa) 57 Nurseries Carry This Plant Island Snapdragon (Gambelia speciosa) is a somewhat vine-like perennial plant native to the Channel Islands and to Guadalupe Island, Mexico. It has trumpet-shaped red flowers that attract birds, especially hummingbirds. Under the right conditions it can bloom almost year round.

Island Snapdragon is easy to grow, fast growing and beautiful, a perennial widely available in native California nurseries. It prefers sun or part shade (more shade inland), but you will get more flowers in full sun. It likes rocky slopes and seaside conditions and will tolerate a variety of soils. It tolerates occasional summer water, up to twice a month. Good in containers.

It was formerly categorized under the genus Galvezia, and some sources still list it that way. 'Firecracker' is a popular horticultural variety.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Shrub

Size
Size
1 - 3.3 ft tall
10 ft wide

Form
Form
Spreading

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Fragrance
Fragrance
None

Flower Color
Flower Color
Red

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Birds, especially hummingbirds, and various insects

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 30° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerates a variety of soils. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Hummingbird Gardens, Bird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants

Maintenance
Maintenance
Because it tends to be vine-like, it can be cut back whenever stems get too lengthy. Don't cut back into the woody portion.

Propagation
Propagation?
Seeds or cuttings. For propagating by seed: No treatment.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Rocky slopes, bluffs, canyons and coastal terraces of the Channel Islands among coastal sage scrub

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 8.1" - 13.1", Summer Precipitation: 0.20" - 0.26", Coldest Month: 53.2" - 57.3", Hottest Month: 65.2" - 73.0", Humidity: 1.55" - 16.63", Elevation: 7" - 1789"

Alternative Names
Botanical Names: Galvezia speciosa
Common Names: Galvezia, Showy Greenbright


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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