Plant in shade to full coastal sun where it tolerates most soils. Water occasionally to regularly. This plant is typically evergreen in our coastal California climate but can be cut to the ground by a hard frost, reemerging in spring to rebound and bloom in the summer. From reports it seems root hardy to around 15 F so it can be grown as a tropical perennial that reaches to 4 feet tall in colder locations or as a summer annual anywhere. It is attractive to hummingbirds.

Odontonema callistachyum is native to Mexico and Central America. The name for the genus is from the Greek words 'odonto' meaning teeth and 'nema' meaning "thread" in reference to the stamens having toothed filaments. The specific epithet in a combination of the Latin word 'callos' or 'calli' meaning beautiful and the Greek word 'stachys' meaning a "spike" or an "ear of corn" in reference to the beautiful spikes of flowers of this species. 

The information about Odontonema callistachyum that is displayed on this web page is based on research conducted in our nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We will also include observations made about this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We also incorporate comments that we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they share cultural information that aids others growing this plant.