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A perennial of the Acanthaceae family, Dicliptera squarrosa is native to South America, mainly Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil, where it grows in open herbaceous areas, edges, and rocky environments with well-drained soil, under a subtropical climate with contrasting seasons.
It forms a bushy clump, with upright to slightly drooping stems, 40 to 70 cm in height, with medium green, opposite, slightly pubescent, oval-lanceolate foliage. The habit is flexible and natural, without excessive rigidity.
The flowers are tubular, bilabiate, a bright orange-red to intense vermilion, grouped in small axillary and terminal glomerules surrounded by conspicuous green bracts that persist after flowering and contribute to the characteristic appearance of the species. They are very attractive to nectarivorous birds in their native habitat. In its natural environment, its flowering extends from summer to autumn. In cultivation under a temperate climate, it blooms from July until the first frosts.
It requires full sun or light partial shade, in well-drained, moderately fertile soil. Its hardiness is limited, generally up to about -5 °C in dry soil; in regions with mild winters, it can behave as a perennial, elsewhere it is treated as a vigorous annual or brought indoors in winter. It is suitable for southern rock gardens and sunny dry gardens.