Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Shrub
Tender Perennial
Origin
Mexico, Central America
Southeastern Asia
Types
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Eddoe taro, Dasheen taro
Number of Varieties
35200
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical areas
agricultural areas, Hillside, Warm and moist climatic conditions
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-1510-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
12-8
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Cushion/Mound-forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
20.30 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.40 cm30.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink, Lavender, Violet
White, Green
Flower Color Modifier
-
-
Fruit Color
-
Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Dark Green
Dark Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Dark Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Dark Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Dark Green, Ivory
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong to lance-shaped
V-Shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Partial shade, Full Shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
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
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Heat Tolerance, Humidity, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Divison, Layering, Seedlings
From Rhizomes
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs watering once a week, Requires more often in extreme heat
Needs 2-3 times watering per week, Needs a lot of water initially
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
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
Partial shade, Full Shade
Pruning
Prune if you want to improve plant shape
-
Fertilizers
14-14-14 Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Less fertilizing
Pests and Diseases
-
Aphids, Rats, Snails
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Heat Tolerance, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shade areas
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
Single
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Aphids, Bugs, Snails
Allergy
-
Swelling in mouth, Throat itching
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Borders, Ground Cover
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Poison Ivy, Skin cleanser, Weightloss
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent weeds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Dysentry, Eye Infection, Indigestion, Organ Stones
Aging, Laxative, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Flowering Tips, Flowers, Leaves, Shoots, Stem
Leaf Stalks, Leaves
Other Uses
Showy Purposes
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border
Container, Feature Plant, Groundcover, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
CUPHEA hyssopifolia
ALOCASIA micholitziana
Common Name
False Heather, Mexican Heather, Hawaiian Heather
Elephant Ear, Taro
In Hindi
Mexican Heather
अरवी
In German
Mexican Heather
Colocasia (Pflanzengattung)
In French
Mexicaine Heather
Colocasia
In Spanish
Heather mexicana
Colocasia
In Greek
Μεξικού Heather
Colocasia
In Portuguese
Mexican Heather
Colocasia
In Polish
Mexican Heather
Kolokazja
In Latin
Mexicanus Heather
Colocasia
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Myrtales
Arales
Family
Lythraceae
Araceae
Genus
Cuphea
Alocasia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
-
Colocasiodeae
Subfamily
Lythroideae
Aroideae
Number of Species
25010
1
27800
👆🏻