Cuphea hyssopifolia (false heather)
Index
- Pictures
- Identity
- Summary of Invasiveness
- Taxonomic Tree
- Notes on Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Description
- Plant Type
- Distribution
- Distribution Table
- History of Introduction and Spread
- Introductions
- Risk of Introduction
- Habitat
- Habitat List
- Biology and Ecology
- Climate
- Latitude/Altitude Ranges
- Air Temperature
- Rainfall
- Rainfall Regime
- Soil Tolerances
- Natural enemies
- Notes on Natural Enemies
- Means of Movement and Dispersal
- Pathway Causes
- Pathway Vectors
- Social Impact
- Risk and Impact Factors
- Uses
- Uses List
- Similarities to Other Species/Conditions
- Prevention and Control
- Gaps in Knowledge/Research Needs
- References
- Links to Websites
- Contributors
- Distribution Maps
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Top of pagePreferred Scientific Name
- Cuphea hyssopifolia Kunth
Preferred Common Name
- false heather
Other Scientific Names
- Cuphea rivularis Seem.
- Parsonia hyssopifolia (Kunth) Standl.
International Common Names
- English: elfin herb; elphin plant; Hawaiian heather; heather; Mexican heather; tarweed
- Spanish: cufia; romerito; yerba de la dicha; yerba de la suerte
- French: corail
Local Common Names
- Brazil: cuféia
- Cuba: cufia
- Germany: falsches Heidekraut
- Samoa: āoa
- Sweden: isopskufea
Summary of Invasiveness
Top of pageConsidered a transformative invasive plant in Cuba by Oviedo Prieto et al. (2012); however, no information could be found on this species’ environmental impacts. It is considered a potentially serious weed in Hawaii (HEAR, 2016). Naturalized in tropical regions around the world where it has been widely planted as an ornamental (HEAR, 2016).
Taxonomic Tree
Top of page- Domain: Eukaryota
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Phylum: Spermatophyta
- Subphylum: Angiospermae
- Class: Dicotyledonae
- Order: Myrtales
- Family: Lythraceae
- Genus: Cuphea
- Species: Cuphea hyssopifolia
Notes on Taxonomy and Nomenclature
Top of pageCuphea is in the Lythraceae family (USDA-ARS, 2016), and is a genus containing about 260 species of annual and perennial flowering plants native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The generic name is derived from the Greek word kyphos, meaning "bent," "curved," or "humped. The species epithet hyssopifolia means “hyssop-leaved.”
Description
Top of pageShort, evergreen shrubs growing 20 – 70 cm tall. Leaves opposite, narrowly lanceolate, 10-35 × 1-8 mm. Solitary flowers grow from the leaf axils along the branches. Each flower has 6 pink, purple or white petals (3-3.5 mm long) emerging from a green floral tube (5-8 mm long). The calyx teeth are triangular and the calyx may be glabrous or with a few stiff hairs. Fruits are 3-lobed capsules containing 5-8 seeds, each about 1 mm in diameter (Flora Mesoamericana, 2016).
Distribution
Top of pageNative from Mexico to Panama (Francis, 2004; Acevedo-Rodríguez and Strong, 2012), however some sources also indicate it is native to South America (Graham, 1991; Flora Mesoamericana, 2016; USDA-ARS, 2016). Jorge Hieronymus (1874) lists it as a component of the pampas ecosystem in Argentina, for instance. Naturalized plants occur in the Caribbean (Acevedo-Rodríguez and Strong, 2012), Hawaii (HEAR, 2016), India (India Biodiversity Portal, 2016), and New Zealand (USDA-ARS, 2016) among other countries.
Distribution Table
Top of pageThe distribution in this summary table is based on all the information available. When several references are cited, they may give conflicting information on the status. Further details may be available for individual references in the Distribution Table Details section which can be selected by going to Generate Report.
Last updated: 21 Jul 2022Continent/Country/Region | Distribution | Last Reported | Origin | First Reported | Invasive | Reference | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Africa |
|||||||
Réunion | Present | Introduced | Invasive | ||||
Asia |
|||||||
Bangladesh | Present, Only in captivity/cultivation | Introduced | |||||
China | Present | Introduced | 1990 | ||||
Hong Kong | Present | Introduced | |||||
India | Present, Localized | Introduced | |||||
-Maharashtra | Present, Localized | Introduced | |||||
-Tamil Nadu | Present | Introduced | |||||
Philippines | Present, Only in captivity/cultivation | Introduced | |||||
Singapore | Present, Only in captivity/cultivation | Introduced | |||||
North America |
|||||||
Belize | Present | Native | |||||
Costa Rica | Present | Native | |||||
Cuba | Present | Introduced | Invasive | ||||
Dominica | Present, Only in captivity/cultivation | Introduced | |||||
Dominican Republic | Present | Introduced | |||||
Guatemala | Present | Native | |||||
Honduras | Present | Native | |||||
Mexico | Present | Native | |||||
Montserrat | Present | Introduced | |||||
Nicaragua | Present | Native | |||||
Panama | Present | Native | |||||
Puerto Rico | Present | Introduced | Invasive | ||||
Saint Lucia | Present | Introduced | |||||
United States | Present | ||||||
-California | Present | ||||||
-Hawaii | Present | Introduced | Invasive | East Maui, O’ahu | |||
Oceania |
|||||||
Australia | Present | Introduced | 1968 | ||||
Federated States of Micronesia | Present | Introduced | Kosrae, Pohnpei | ||||
Fiji | Present | Introduced | |||||
French Polynesia | Present | Introduced | |||||
Guam | Present | Introduced | |||||
Marshall Islands | Present | Introduced | |||||
New Caledonia | Present | Introduced | |||||
New Zealand | Present | Introduced | Invasive | ||||
Northern Mariana Islands | Present | Introduced | Rota, Saipan | ||||
Palau | Present | Introduced | |||||
South America |
|||||||
Argentina | Present, Localized | Native | |||||
Bolivia | Present | Native | |||||
Brazil | Present, Only in captivity/cultivation | Introduced | |||||
-Amazonas | Present, Only in captivity/cultivation | Introduced | |||||
-Mato Grosso | Present, Only in captivity/cultivation | Introduced | |||||
-Para | Present, Only in captivity/cultivation | Introduced | |||||
-Santa Catarina | Present, Only in captivity/cultivation | Introduced | |||||
-Sao Paulo | Present, Only in captivity/cultivation | Introduced | |||||
Chile | Present | Native | |||||
Colombia | Present | Native | |||||
Ecuador | |||||||
-Galapagos Islands | Present | Introduced | |||||
Peru | Present | Native | |||||
Venezuela | Present | Native |
History of Introduction and Spread
Top of pagePlanted widely as an ornamental (Francis, 2004) and has escaped and naturalized in several places around the world (Francis, 2004; Acevedo-Rodríguez and Strong, 2012; HEAR, 2016). Seeds were available in seed catalogues as early as 1877 (Bliss, 1877). Plants were naturalized in Martinique and Guadeloupe as well as cultivated as early as 1897 (Duss, 1897).
Introductions
Top of pageIntroduced to | Introduced from | Year | Reason | Introduced by | Established in wild through | References | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Natural reproduction | Continuous restocking | |||||||
Guadeloupe | Pre-1897 | Horticulture (pathway cause) | Yes | No | Duss (1897) | |||
Martinique | Pre-1897 | Horticulture (pathway cause) | Yes | No | Duss (1897) | |||
Hawaii | 1909 | Yes | No | Webster (1992) |
Risk of Introduction
Top of pagePlants are distributed as ornamental plants locally and long-distance by sale of potted plants and seeds (Francis, 2004; Dave’s Garden, 2016).
Habitat
Top of pageOccurs in the understorey of deciduous and semi-deciduous lowland and mid-elevation forests and in oak forests (Graham, 1991). Grows along the edges of creeks and rivers and in humid forests (Flora Mesoamericana, 2016), and in disturbed areas (Francis, 2004).
Habitat List
Top of pageCategory | Sub-Category | Habitat | Presence | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Terrestrial | ||||
Terrestrial | Managed | Disturbed areas | Principal habitat | Natural |
Terrestrial | Managed | Urban / peri-urban areas | Principal habitat | Productive/non-natural |
Terrestrial | Natural / Semi-natural | Natural forests | Principal habitat | Natural |
Terrestrial | Natural / Semi-natural | Riverbanks | Principal habitat | Natural |
Biology and Ecology
Top of pageGenetics
2n=16 (Flora Mesoamericana, 2016).
Reproductive Biology
Flowers are pollinated by bees and other insects (Murali et al., 2013; Kane and Kervin, 2013). Each fruit produces about six tiny (1 mm) seeds (Francis, 2004). Cuphea seeds generally have improved germination after a short period of heating following cold storage (McGinnis, 2006).
Physiology and Phenology
Plants flower and produce seeds constantly (Francis, 2004). They tend to be short lived with layering extending the lives of individual plants (Francis, 2004).
Environmental Requirements
Prefers to grow in moist environments with over 1400 mm rainfall/year (Francis, 2004). Does not tolerate frost or salt (Francis, 2004). Grows in USDA hardiness zones 9-11 (Scheper, 2003) or H1C (Royal Horticultural Society, 2016). Prefers full sun to part shade (Royal Horticultural Society, 2016).
Climate
Top of pageClimate | Status | Description | Remark |
---|---|---|---|
Af - Tropical rainforest climate | Preferred | > 60mm precipitation per month | |
Am - Tropical monsoon climate | Preferred | Tropical monsoon climate ( < 60mm precipitation driest month but > (100 - [total annual precipitation(mm}/25])) | |
As - Tropical savanna climate with dry summer | Tolerated | < 60mm precipitation driest month (in summer) and < (100 - [total annual precipitation{mm}/25]) | |
Aw - Tropical wet and dry savanna climate | Preferred | < 60mm precipitation driest month (in winter) and < (100 - [total annual precipitation{mm}/25]) |
Latitude/Altitude Ranges
Top of pageLatitude North (°N) | Latitude South (°S) | Altitude Lower (m) | Altitude Upper (m) |
---|---|---|---|
25 | 26 |
Air Temperature
Top of pageParameter | Lower limit | Upper limit |
---|---|---|
Absolute minimum temperature (ºC) | 0 | |
Mean annual temperature (ºC) | 19.7 | 27 |
Mean maximum temperature of hottest month (ºC) | 31 | 33 |
Mean minimum temperature of coldest month (ºC) | 6 | 23 |
Rainfall
Top of pageParameter | Lower limit | Upper limit | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Dry season duration | 0 | 5 | number of consecutive months with <40 mm rainfall |
Mean annual rainfall | 1400 | 1900 | mm; lower/upper limits |
Soil Tolerances
Top of pageSoil drainage
- free
Soil reaction
- acid
- alkaline
- neutral
Soil texture
- light
- medium
Natural enemies
Top of pageNatural enemy | Type | Life stages | Specificity | References | Biological control in | Biological control on |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Popillia japonica | Herbivore | Plants|Leaves | not specific | N | ||
Scirtothrips dorsalis | Herbivore | Plants|Leaves | not specific | N |
Notes on Natural Enemies
Top of pageSeveral natural enemies occur on C. hyssopifolia (Hodges et al., 2005), however none found were specific to this species.
Means of Movement and Dispersal
Top of pagePlants are widely cultivated and sold as seeds or as rooted plants in pots (Francis, 2004; Dave’s Garden, 2016). Seeds are expelled from the fruits, while vegetative reproduction can occur by layering where branches touch the ground (Francis, 2004).
Pathway Causes
Top of pageCause | Notes | Long Distance | Local | References |
---|---|---|---|---|
Breeding and propagation | Yes | Scheper (2003) | ||
Escape from confinement or garden escape | Yes | Francis (2004) | ||
Landscape improvement | Yes | Francis (2004) | ||
Ornamental purposes | Yes | Yes | Francis (2004) | |
Seed trade | Yes | Francis (2004) |
Risk and Impact Factors
Top of page- Has a broad native range
- Tolerant of shade
- Long lived
- Has high reproductive potential
- Causes allergic responses
- Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately
Uses
Top of pageWidely grown and sold as an ornamental plant (Francis, 2004; Dave’s Garden, 2016). It is used medicinally in Mexico (Morales-Serna et al. 2011) and in Bangladesh (Rahmatullah et al., 2010). The plant is considered attractive to honeybees and other pollinators (Delaplane et al., 2000; Dave’s Garden, 2016).
Uses List
Top of pageEnvironmental
- Amenity
- Landscape improvement
General
- Botanical garden/zoo
- Sociocultural value
Medicinal, pharmaceutical
- Source of medicine/pharmaceutical
- Traditional/folklore
Ornamental
- Potted plant
- Propagation material
- Seed trade
Similarities to Other Species/Conditions
Top of pageCuphea carthagenesis may occur in similar habitats as C. hyssopifolia but C. carthagenesis has stems densely covered in sticky hairs and has larger leaves (Technigro Australia, 2011).
Prevention and Control
Top of pageDue to the variable regulations around (de)registration of pesticides, your national list of registered pesticides or relevant authority should be consulted to determine which products are legally allowed for use in your country when considering chemical control. Pesticides should always be used in a lawful manner, consistent with the product's label.
Gardeners describe seedlings as easy to uproot (Dave’s Garden, 2016).
Gaps in Knowledge/Research Needs
Top of pageLittle information was found on Cuphea hyssopifolia’s impact on habitats or species in areas where it has naturalized, or on control measures.
References
Top of pageAcevedo-Rodríguez P, Strong MT, 2012. Catalogue of Seed Plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany, number 98, xxv + 1192 pages
Bliss BK, 1877. B.K. Bliss and Sons Illustrated Spring Catalogue. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/45239387#page/3/mode/1up
Chua RT, 2013. Taxonomy of vascular plants in botanical garden, Baguio City. http://www.academia.edu/3876692/Taxonomy_of_Vascular_Plants_in_Botanical_Garden_Baguio_City
Dave’s Garden, 2016. Cuphea hyssopifolia. http://davesgarden.com/sitewidesearch.php?q=cuphea+hyssopifolia
Delaplane KS, Mayer DR, Mayer DF, 2000. Crop Pollination by bees. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. 352 pp.
Duss RP, 1897. Flore phanérogamique des Antilles françaises. Annales d’ L’Institut Colonial des Marseilles, 30. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3398869#page/9/mode/1up
Flora Mesoamericana, 2016. Flora Mesoamericana. St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.tropicos.org/Project/fm
Francis JK, 2004. Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories: thamnic descriptions: volume 1. Gen. Tech. Rep. IITF-GTR-26, 1. San Juan, Puerto Rico: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, and Fort Collins, CO: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 830 pp. http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/iitf_gtr026.pdf
GBIF, 2016. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. http://www.gbif.org/species
Graham SA, 1991. Lythraceae. Flora de Veracruz 66. http://www1.inecol.edu.mx/publicaciones/resumeness/FLOVER/66-Graham_I.pdf
HEAR, 2016. Alien species in Hawaii. Hawaii Ecosystems at Risk. Honolulu, USA: University of Hawaii. http://www.hear.org/AlienSpeciesInHawaii/index.html
Hodges G, Edwards GB, Dixon W, 2005. Chilli thrips Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). A new pest thrips for Florida. Pest Alert. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. FDACS-P-01660. http://www.freshfromflorida.com/content/download/68187/1612823/Pest_Alert_-_Scirtothrips_dorsalis,_Chilli_Thrips.pdf
India Biodiversity Portal, 2016. Online Portal of India Biodiversity. http://indiabiodiversity.org/species/list
Jorge Hieronymus D, 1874. Observaciones sobre la vegetación de la Provincia de Tucumán, Boletín de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Córdoba, 1874:183-234
Kane JH, Kervin L, 2013. Gardening for native bees in Utah and beyond. Utah State University Extension and Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Laboratory. http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/plants-pollinators09.pdf
McGinnis L, 2006. Warming up to Cuphea, seeds get special treatment after cold storage. Agricultural Research Magazine, July 2006. USDA ARS. https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2006/jul/seeds
Missouri Botanical Garden, 2015. Tropicos database. St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.tropicos.org/
Morales-Serna JA, García-Ríos E, Madrigal D, Cárdenas J, Salmón M, 2011. Constituents of organic extracts of Cuphea hyssopifolia., Journal of the Mexican Chemical Society, 55(1):62-64
Murali S, Reddy GN, Tavaragondi Vinayaka, Chetan T, 2013. Study of insect pollinator's diversity in Cuphea hyssopifolia Kunth in GKVK, Bangalore., Environment and Ecology, 31(2A):724-726
Nerlekar AN, Kulkarni DK, 2015. The Vetal hills: an urban wildscape in peril, Taprobanica, 7(2):72-78
Oviedo Prieto R, Herrera Oliver P, Caluff MG, et al., 2012. National list of invasive and potentially invasive plants in the Republic of Cuba - 2011. (Lista nacional de especies de plantas invasoras y potencialmente invasoras en la República de Cuba - 2011). Bissea: Boletín sobre Conservación de Plantas del Jardín Botánico Nacional de Cuba, 6(Special Issue 1):22-96.
Quattrocchi U, 2000. CRC world dictionary of plant names: common names, scientific names, eponyms, synonyms, and etymology. Boca Raton, Florida, USA: CRC Press.
Rahmatullah M, Ferdausi D, Mollik A, Jahan R, Chowdhury MH, Haque WM, 2010. A survey of medicinal plants used by Kavirajes of Chalna area, Khulna district, Bangladesh., African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, 7(2):91-97
Royal Horticultural Society, 2016. Cuphea hyssopifolia. https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/details?plantid=598
Scheper J, 2003. Cuphea hyssopifolia. Floridata. http://floridata.com/Plants/Lythraceae/Cuphea%20hyssopifolia/932
SpeciesLink, 2016. INCT-Herbário Virtual da Flora e dos Fungos. http://www.splink.org.br/
Technigro Australia, 2011. WeedWatch Colombian Waxweed (Cuphea carthagenisis). http://www.technigro.com.au/fieldguides/Colombian%20waxweedWEB.pdf
University of California, 2016. Safe and Poisonous garden plants. http://ucanr.edu/sites/poisonous_safe_plants/Toxic_Plants_by_Scientific_Name_685/
USDA-ARS, 2016. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online Database. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, USA. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl
Wagner WL, Herbst DR, Kahn N, Flynn T, 2012. Hawaiian Vascular Plant Updates: A Supplement to the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai`i and Hawai`i's Ferns and Fern Allies. Washington DC, USA: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. http://www.botany.si.edu/pacificislandbiodiversity/hawaiianflora/supplement.htm
Wagner WL, Herbst DR, Sohmer SH, 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawai`i, revised edition. Honolulu, Hawaii, USA: University of Hawaii Press/Bishop Museum Press, 1919 pp. in 2 volumes. (Bishop Museum Special Publication 97)
Webster L, 1992. Origin and distribution of adventive alien flowering plants in Hawai`i, In: Stone CP, Smith CW, Tunison JT, eds. Alien plant invasions in native ecosystems of Hawai`i: management and research, pp. 99-154, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA: UH Coop. National Park. Resource Study Unit, UH Press
Whitefoord C, 1989. Recent plant collections from Dominica, Journal of the Arnold Arboretum, 70:143-152
Distribution References
Chua RT, 2013. Taxonomy of vascular plants in botanical garden, Baguio City., http://www.academia.edu/3876692/Taxonomy_of_Vascular_Plants_in_Botanical_Garden_Baguio_City
Flora, Mesoamericana, 2016. Flora Mesoamericana., St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.tropicos.org.Project/fm
GBIF, 2016. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. http://www.gbif.org/species
HEAR, 2016. Alien species in Hawaii. In: Hawaii Ecosystems at Risk, Honolulu, USA: University of Hawaii. http://www.hear.org/AlienSpeciesInHawaii/index.html
Hieronymus J, 1874. (Observaciones sobre la vegetación de la Provincia de Tucumán). In: Boletín de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias Exactas, Córdoba, 183-234.
India Biodiversity Portal, 2016. Online Portal of India Biodiversity., http://indiabiodiversity.org/species/list
Missouri Botanical Garden, 2015. Tropicos database., St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.tropicos.org/
Nerlekar AN, Kulkarni DK, 2015. The Vetal hills: an urban wildscape in peril. In: Taprobanica, 7 (2) 72-78.
SpeciesLink, 2016. (INCT-Herbário Virtual da Flora e dos Fungos)., http://www.splink.org.br/
USDA-ARS, 2016. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online Database. Beltsville, Maryland, USA: National Germplasm Resources Laboratory. https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomysimple.aspx
Wagner WL, Herbst DR, Kahn N, Flynn T, 2012. Hawaiian Vascular Plant Updates: A Supplement to the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai`i and Hawai`i's Ferns and Fern Allies., Washington DC, USA: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. http://www.botany.si.edu/pacificislandbiodiversity/hawaiianflora/supplement.htm
Whitefoord C, 1989. Recent plant collections from Dominica. In: Journal of the Arnold Arboretum, 70 143-152.
Links to Websites
Top of pageWebsite | URL | Comment |
---|---|---|
GISD/IASPMR: Invasive Alien Species Pathway Management Resource and DAISIE European Invasive Alien Species Gateway | https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m93f6 | Data source for updated system data added to species habitat list. |
Contributors
Top of page07/11/2016 Original text by:
Sylvan Kaufman, Sylvan Green Earth Consulting, Santa Fe, USA
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