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Chorizema 'Bush Flame' (Flame Pea) – A dense small evergreen shrub that spreads to 2 to 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide or wider with heart-shaped leaves that are bright green when first emerging before maturing to a dark green color. It has arching to semi-erect sprays of brilliant orange and pink pea flowers with peak flowering from fall through early spring but often has some bloom almost the year around.
Plant in full sun to light shade in neutral to acidic soil with good drainage. Drought tolerant but best with some irrigation during dry periods. Frost hardy to low 20°s F. An attractive plant for rockeries, borders and large pots - will climb if given support.
Chorizema 'Bush Flame' is a vigorous hybrid that is the result of crossing the Heart Leafed Flame Pea, Chorizema cordatum with Chorizema varium, which is now considered to be a form of the Holly Flame Pea, Chorizema ilicifolium. 'Bush Flame' is a 2002 University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum Koala Blooms Plant Introduction – see our Koala Blooms Page for a list of all of these introductions from the UCSC Arboretum.
There are a couple of interpretations for what the French naturalist Jacques-Julien Houtou de Labillardière (1755–1834) intended when he named this genus in 1792 - one idea is that the name comes from the Greek word 'choros' meaning a "dance" and 'zema' meaning a "drinking vessel" with the idea that the plant was discovered near a waterhole by a thirsty expedition party. Another more likely interpretation is that Labillardiere constructed the name from the Greek words 'chorizo' meaning "separate" and 'nema' meaning a "thread" in reference to the free filaments of the flower.
This information about Chorizema 'Bush Flame' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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