Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Shrub
Shrub
Origin
Mexico, Central America
Central America, South America
Types
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Fruit Tree
Number of Varieties
352
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical areas
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-159-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
-
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
20.30 cm457.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.40 cm243.84 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink, Lavender, Violet
Pink
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Dark Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong to lance-shaped
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Divison, Layering, Seedlings
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs watering once a week, Requires more often in extreme heat
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Dry, Sandy
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune if you want to improve plant shape
In Early Autumn, Prune in winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
14-14-14 Fertilizer
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
-
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Wind
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
Butterflies
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Allergy
-
Pollen
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Borders, Ground Cover
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Dysentry, Eye Infection, Indigestion, Organ Stones
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Flowering Tips, Flowers, Leaves, Shoots, Stem
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Showy Purposes
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
CUPHEA hyssopifolia
Malpighia emarginata
Common Name
False Heather, Mexican Heather, Hawaiian Heather
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
In Hindi
Mexican Heather
Acerola Tree
In German
Mexican Heather
Acerola Baum
In French
Mexicaine Heather
Acerola Arbre
In Spanish
Heather mexicana
Árbol de acerola
In Greek
Μεξικού Heather
Acerola Δέντρο
In Portuguese
Mexican Heather
Árvore acerola
In Polish
Mexican Heather
Acerola Drzewo
In Latin
Mexicanus Heather
Acerola ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Myrtales
Malpighiales
Family
Lythraceae
Malpighiaceae
Genus
Cuphea
Malpighia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Lythroideae
Paperveroideae
Number of Species
250-
1
27800
👆🏻