Scientific Name:
Cuphea
x
purpurea
Pronunciation:
KEW-fee-uh ex pur-PUR-ee-uh
Common Name:
firecracker, bat-faced cuphea
Family Name:
Lythraceae
Plant Type:
Annual (grown as)
Key ID Features:
Leaves opposite, ovate-lanceolate, most 3-5cm long x 1.5-2.5cm wide, pubescent, dark green; florets tubular, 2-3cm long, calyx rose-red to pink-violet, petals red, 2-6 (when paired in some cultivare the floret may appear like a bat face).
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Mounded, Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.2 - 0.4m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Garden origin (C. llavea x C. procumbens)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 11: (above 4 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Bedding plant, Container planting, Hanging basket, Small garden/space, Summer interest
Additional Info:
Google. Compare to cigar flower and C. 'Cupver' (another popular hybrid firecracker with trade name Vermillionaire).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glandular hairs
Shapes:
Lanceolate, Obovate, Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Rounded
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
6
Corolla Shape:
Tubular
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Pink, Red
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug
Fruit Type:
Capsule, Aborted (hybrids) or absent
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Red, Tan
Additional Info:
Sticky glandular hairs
Propagation:
Seed, Softwood cuttings, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
