Cuphea hyssopifolia
| Cuphea hyssopifolia | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Myrtales |
| Family: | Lythraceae |
| Genus: | Cuphea |
| Species: | C. hyssopifolia
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cuphea hyssopifolia | |
Cuphea hyssopifolia, the false heather, Mexican heather, Hawaiian heather or elfin herb, is a small evergreen shrub native to Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.[1][2] It grows to about 60 cm (24 in) high by 90 cm (35 in) wide and has purple, lavender or white coloured flowers and fine foliage.[3]
The Latin word hyssopifolia (which also occurs in several other plant names, including that of Bassia hyssopifolia) means "hyssop-leafed".[4]
The species is naturalised in Hawaii, and regarded as a serious weed there.[3]
In cultivation, the species adapts to a range of soils in a sunny or partially shaded situation with good drainage.[3] It can be cultivated outdoors in USDA hardiness zones 8B-11.[3] In colder regions it may be cultivated as an annual.[3] Plants may be propagated by cuttings, layering or division. They seed freely, and new seedlings that appear are easily transplanted.[3]
This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit[5] (confirmed 2017).[6]
References
- ^ Tenenbaum, Frances (2003). Taylor's Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Houghton Miiflin Co. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-618-22644-3.
- ^ "Cuphea hyssopifolia". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 24 July 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Harrison, Marie (2006). Groundcovers for the South. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-56164-347-9.
- ^ James Donn, Hortus Cantabrigiensis: or, a Catalogue of Plants, Indigenous and Exotic (1809), p. 5
- ^ "Cuphea hyssopifolia". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- ^ "AGM Plants - Ornamental" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society. July 2017. p. 26. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
External links
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