Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Flowering Plants
Origin
Mexico, Central America
South-Central United States
Types
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Penstemon digitalis, Penstemon barbatus, Penstemon heterophyllus
Number of Varieties
35200
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical areas
Rocky areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-155-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
No Available
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
20.30 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.40 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink, Lavender, Violet
White, Purple
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong to lance-shaped
Long linear and narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
-
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Late Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Divison, Layering, Seedlings
From bulbs
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs watering once a week, Requires more often in extreme heat
Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Remove damaged leaves
Fertilizers
14-14-14 Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
-
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
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
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Borders, Ground Cover
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Dysentry, Eye Infection, Indigestion, Organ Stones
-
Part of Plant Used
Flowering Tips, Flowers, Leaves, Shoots, Stem
Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border
Bedding Plant, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
CUPHEA hyssopifolia
PENSTEMON cobaea
Common Name
False Heather, Mexican Heather, Hawaiian Heather
Beardtongue
In Hindi
Mexican Heather
Beardtongue
In German
Mexican Heather
Bartfaden
In French
Mexicaine Heather
beardtongue
In Spanish
Heather mexicana
beardtongue
In Greek
Μεξικού Heather
Beardtongue
In Portuguese
Mexican Heather
Beardtongue
In Polish
Mexican Heather
Beardtongue
In Latin
Mexicanus Heather
ursus lingua
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Equisetopsida
Order
Myrtales
Lamiales
Family
Lythraceae
Scrophulariaceae
Genus
Cuphea
Penstemon
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Lythroideae
-
Number of Species
250261
1
27800
👆🏻