Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Shrub
Origin
Central America, South America
Mexico, Central America
Types
Fruit Tree
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Number of Varieties
235
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
Tropical areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-119-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-10
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Cushion/Mound-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm20.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm30.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
White, Pink, Light Pink, Lavender, Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Red
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Light Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Green, Gray Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Oblong to lance-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Cuttings, Divison, Layering, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Needs watering once a week, Requires more often in extreme heat
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Dry, Sandy
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
In Early Autumn, Prune in winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
14-14-14 Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
-
Plant Tolerance
Wind
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Butterflies
Allergy
Pollen
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Borders, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Dysentry, Eye Infection, Indigestion, Organ Stones
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Flowering Tips, Flowers, Leaves, Shoots, Stem
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Showy Purposes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
CUPHEA hyssopifolia
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
False Heather, Mexican Heather, Hawaiian Heather
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
Mexican Heather
In German
Acerola Baum
Mexican Heather
In French
Acerola Arbre
Mexicaine Heather
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
Heather mexicana
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
Μεξικού Heather
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
Mexican Heather
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
Mexican Heather
In Latin
Acerola ligno
Mexicanus Heather
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Myrtales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Lythraceae
Genus
Malpighia
Cuphea
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
Lythroideae
Number of Species
-250
1
27800
👆🏻