Chorizema

( koh- RIZ - em - uh )

At-A-Glance Information

Also called Flame Pea, Chorizema is an evergreen shrub that needs little to moderate water, and can grow in a variety of light exposures but bloom best in areas with partial shade. They grow to be 2-5 feet tall and produce flowers that mimic sweet pea. It is fast growing, and has slender, graceful branches that are great for spilling out of containers or over bank walls. Can be kept compact through pinching. They are hardy to 24 degrees Fahrenheit and produce blooms mainly in winter and springtime.

chorizema Species and Varietals

Chorizema is a genus of around 18 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus includes both sub-shrub and climbing varieties. It was given a name in 1792 by French naturalist Jaques-Julien Houtou de Labillardiere, who used the Greek words for separate or divide (chorizo) and thread (nema). Flame Pea grows best in zones 15-17 and 19-24. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.
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​​Chorizema 'Bush Flame'
This hybrid is a cross between Chorizema cordata and Chorizema varium (or Chorizema illicifolium). Grows to 2-3 feet high, and more than 3 feet wide. Orange-pink sprays of flowers bloom in late winter to early spring.

​Chorizema cordatum (Heart-Leaf Flame Pea)
Grows to be 3-5 feet tall and wide. Leaves are dark green and flowers are orange and magenta.

Caring for and pruning chorizema shrubs

Grow Flame Pea in full sun to light shade conditions and provide well-draining soil, planting in fall. If growing in full sun, mulch around the bottom of the plant with organic matter to increase soil water retention. Flower color will be brighter in shaded areas; these plants are great understory specimens. They are considered easy-care plants, and respond well to pinching to encourage a bushier habit. After flowers fade, the plant can be rejuvenated for the next season by pruning back of old wood. These shrubs really do not need to be fertilized, but if they appear to struggle blooming, they may benefit from a yearly light (half-diluted) feeding of a balanced, slow release fertilizer applied in springtime. Take care when fertilizing, as these plants do not always respond well and the addition of fertilizer can actually harm the shrub.

Propagation

Chorizema is not commonly affected by pests or disease. 
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Problems and Pests

Chorizema can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your Flame Pea, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Chorizema by Cutting
  1. Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
  2. In spring or early summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
  3. Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth on your propagated Abutilon, you'll know you have roots. 
  4. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.

Propagating Chorizema by Seed
  1. Keep in mind that the Flame Pea plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows.
  2. Harvest your seeds. Collect as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area until you are ready to sow them in spring or fall.
  3. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 7-30 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
  4. Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.
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​The seeds of Flame Pea shrubs are very small.

Gallery

Use Chorizema shrubs to add color to rock gardens.
The flowers of a Flame Pea shrub are striking when admired from a close perspective.

Videos

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Resources

Growing Native Plants: Chorizema cordatum
Chorizema cordatum
Chorizema 'Bush Flame'
Wikipedia: Chorizema
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Page 242, Chorizema
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