Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Tree
Origin
Mexico, Central America
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
Types
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Number of Varieties
3510
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical areas
Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-159-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
12-7
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
20.30 cm1,830.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.40 cm1,830.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink, Lavender, Violet
Red, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Brown
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
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
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
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Spring, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Divison, Layering, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs watering once a week, Requires more often in extreme heat
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Moderate
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
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
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Fertilizers
14-14-14 Fertilizer
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
-
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Soil Compaction
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
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Borders, Ground Cover
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Dysentry, Eye Infection, Indigestion, Organ Stones
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Part of Plant Used
Flowering Tips, Flowers, Leaves, Shoots, Stem
Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
Showy Purposes
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
CUPHEA hyssopifolia
Ceiba pentandra
Common Name
False Heather, Mexican Heather, Hawaiian Heather
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
In Hindi
Mexican Heather
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
In German
Mexican Heather
Kapok baum
In French
Mexicaine Heather
Fromager
In Spanish
Heather mexicana
Ceiba
In Greek
Μεξικού Heather
Ceiba
In Portuguese
Mexican Heather
Mafumeira
In Polish
Mexican Heather
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
In Latin
Mexicanus Heather
Ceiba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Myrtales
Malvales
Family
Lythraceae
Bombacaceae
Genus
Cuphea
Ceiba
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Lythroideae
-
Number of Species
25010
1
27800
👆🏻