American bottlebrush

The American bottlebrush (Neocallistemon americanus) is a species of shrub of the family Myrtaceae, and one of the only two living members of the genus Neocallistemon, that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, open woodlands, grasslands, and shrublands across North America to help boost biodiversity. The American bottlebrush has also been cultivated across the world as common decorative plants due to being easy to grow, keep, and care for in captivity. The American bottlebrush usually ranges around 1 to 4 meters (3 to 13 feet) tall, but can grow to be about 6 meters (19 feet) tall. It has hard, fibrous or papery bark and its young growth is usually covered with soft, silky hair. Its leaves are arranged alternately and are 26-99 mm (1-4 inches) long, 4-25 mm (0.2-1 inch) wide, hard, flat, narrow egg-shaped with a narrower end near the base and with a pointed but not sharp end. There are between 7 and 26 branching veins clearly visible on both sides of the leaves and a large number of distinct oil glands visible on both surfaces of the leaves. The flowers are red and arranged in spikes on the ends of branches that continue to grow after flowering and sometimes also in the upper leaf axils. The spikes are up to 45-70 mm (2-3 inches) in diameter and 60-100 mm (2-4 inches) long with up to 80 individual flowers. The petals are 3.9-5.8 mm (0.15-0.23 inches) long and fall off as the flower ages. There are 30 to 45 stamens in each flower, with their "stalks" (the filaments) red and "tips" (the anthers) purple. Flowering occurs throughout the spring and early summer. Flowering is followed by fruit that are woody, cup-shaped capsules, 4.4-7 mm (0.2-0.3 inches) long and about 7 mm (0.3) wide in cylindrical clusters along the stems. The fruiting capsules remain unopened until the plant, or the plant bearing them dies. Birds have been observed using this plant species as a source of food. Those birds seeking nectar from the flowers include hummingbirds, American spinebills, and orioles, while house finches, New World sparrows, American lorikeets, American rosellas, and non-native monk parakeets eat the seeds. Nectarivorous bats have also been observed eating the nectar from this plant species. The conservation status of the American bottlebrush in the wild is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the American bottlebrush's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.