PlantFiles: Red Powder Puff
Calliandra haematocephala

I am in zone 9 near Tampa, Fl. and have this plant, dwarf variety, in the ground in partial sun (am). It blooms almost nonstop and sets seed pods. The butterflies and hummingbirds love it too. It is near a window where I can enjoy the show! Some damage from cold but comes back fine. I love this plant! I have not tried propagating it from seed but am going to try.

I LOVE this plant. I grow it in a large container which I bring into a glass-roofed porch for winter in my Zone 9b area. If I water it with oxygenated-water (left-over from using our Lotus Sanitizing System in which we wash all our produce which is consumed raw), it blooms all winter inside! I move it outside at Easter where it gets morning sun, but afternoon shade. After a brief readjustment period, it's back in bloom. It comes in at Thanksgiving. I, therefore, get almost 12 months of bloom.

I have two bushes of this plant, one gets full sun most the morning until about two and then shaded. The other is in partial shade from an overhead oak. The full sun certainly blooms more but also needs more water and can really struggle during dry spells. They will damage by temperatures below freezing and sometimes all the way to the ground, but come back every year. Blooms from spring until first freeze. Bees love the flowers. Mine is the dwarf species. The oldest plant has made it to 4 by 5 foot and that is with set backs from cold temperatures, if never froze I imagine it would be quite big by now.

I had never had one of these plants - and at the house I bought in Palm Springs (abandoned, scorched earth thanks to a year long foreclosure) there were two scraggly bushes.

In one year they have shot up to over ten feet in height and they are absolutely stunning.

The one thing I'd love to do is grow more of them as a hedge.
Does anyone know how to propagate this plant?

Thank you.

In zone 9a, the shrub grows to about 6' and flowers profusely from mid-summer through the first freeze. It freezes to the ground but begins growing from the roots in March and reaches blooming size quickly. The flowers are a glorious red and attract butterflies.

A great buy of 3 bedraggled reduced specimens from a Home Depot. They have survived several hard frosts, and when they start blooming, it's nonstop. I keep them pruned to about 3' and they look great in a grouping of mixed height and colored perennials.

I have a large old red powder puff. I have cut it back hard and it grew profusely and flowered all year. This year however there are no seeds forming after the flower is spent. I have grown some from seeds previously, no luck from cuttings. Can anybody tell me why. I live in a hot subtropical climate.

i bought this plant as a house plant noticed it losing it leaves since i have brought it in for the winter but then after looking at it closer it looks as though it has some type of bug there are little white web looking areas not sure how to treat it hoping not to lose the plant i just love it....wondering if anyone would have a suggestion

Great plant for a trellis.

I purchased this plant about 4 months ago at a garden center in Houston and planted it in my yard (Waveland, MS). It was blooming when I bought it, and hasn't stopped since. I'm truly amazed! I have never owned a plant before that bloomed so profusely and continuously.

When I was a child, our next door neighbor had one of these trees. It was in the corner of their yard and some of the tree hung over into our yard. I remember playing under it and marveling at it's pretty red puffs.

It's such a beautiful tree... it also attracts lots of butterflies. Can't wrong with this one!

When the government took 4 feet of our yard for the new sidewalk they planted these between the walk and fence. They have yet to really take off, but are looking healthy. The govt. tried growing a smaller less mature batch of Puffs before, but they all died because they planted them in Winter and there was no rain. I was hoping they were going to at least plant natives, but every1 so loves this tree maybe it will be ok....

I live in Houston, TX, Zone 9, and bought this almost a year ago, maybe in the fall. It reminded me of a mimosa, and our neighbor had just cut his down. To him, it was invasive. To us, it was the great view out our dining window. The powder puff bush has grown at a rapid pace, and looks super healthy, but I have never, ever had a bloom. The tag on it when I bought it showed a pink flower, so I'm hoping it is pink, and said it was tropical. With our humidity, I thought it would thrive. Plus, I water regularly. Anyone have ideas as to why it hasn't bloomed yet, when the rest of my garden has been bursting with color since spring? It's in a sunny spot in front, so our dogs aren't eating the blooms.

Love it! Nearly every morning bees and wasps cover the playful-looking Powderpuffs bordering my front walkway, and they are covered with so many bees that the buzzing sound is distinctly audible.

There are several large shrubs/small trees about 12' and they bloom year round much to my delight. According to the notes of the previous owner of my property, the Powderpuffs are about 15-years-old.

Connie (Zone 10a)

Zone 9 - I LOVE my powder puff bushes. Mine grow happily receiving partial afternoon sun close to my house. They get rain runoff from the roof but other than natural rainwater, they are very drought tolerant. They bloom pretty much year round and bloom more heartily when they get rain. They require little or no care and have had no noticable pest issues in 4 years of growth.

I've this lovely tree as a container specimen. It needs winter protection here. Pot culture keep the tree relatively small for the past 2 years.

Hubby & I went to Butterfly World this last weekend & it was consistently frequented by colorful finches & butterflies.

This is a great plant, it is tough and bug resistant and very attractive.
It is so attractive that the butterflys and hummingbirds are flitting about its puff. Some seeds have sprouted that fell and germinated under the plant, I transplanted them into potting soil and they are doing great. I am planning to try different methods of propagation to see which will be the best.

In my borderline Zone 8b/9a climate in NE Fla, this Calliandra dies back in winter with freezing temperatures, but rebounds in the Spring and begins to bloom around May.

If you have this plant and live in a climate where it freezes, don't be too quick to prune back what looks like brown, dead, leafless stems. Leaves and flowers will emerge most of the way up the stems in the Springtime. I think it is best to wait until the flowers appear to determine what part of the plant is truly lifeless.

My row of shrubs, in the ground many years, has been sheared annually into a 6' hedge after the winter bloom period is over. Planted in a dry area on the side of my house, they are truly drought tolerant, subsisting on rain water only, which in coastal San Diego averages 11 inches per year between November and April. The plentiful watermelon red blooms are charming; the new growth a lovely bronze with a graceful arching form.

Plant responds with lots of blooms following a good watering. However, my dogs love to eat the powder puffs and my plants don't have flowers on them for long! (FYI...They've been eating them for a year and have never had a bad reaction.)

Our Calliandra in So Cal (dry climate of E of San Diego) blooms best in winter (November till April) and at that time is really covered both with blooms and their less pretty spent brown dry remnants. Hummingbirds love it and it is fun to watch them feed (I am posting a photo of one). If Calliandra does best in humidity, it has clearly shifted its blooming time here to the wettest period since during the dry hot summer and fall it does not bloom at all (I see the difference from Florida humid tropical climate). Calliandra is rapidly growing and needs pruning to keep in check.

There´s a Red Power Puff near here that blooms constantly during the year. However, it never gets covered with flowers like other species. The folliage gives it a more smooth look than other Calliandras.

Calliandra haematocephala is a sub-tropical plant the family of which is native to the India, Mexico, Madagascar, South America and the United States. It is adaptable, but prefers moist, well-drained, fertile soil. Does best with moderate humidity. This species is grown as a hedge or shrub in the landscape for its powder-puff-type flowers. Very attractive to bees and butterflies.