Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Shrub
Origin
Mexico
Mexico, Central America
Types
Cat palm, Date palm, Old Man palm
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Number of Varieties
135
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Grassland
Tropical areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
12-159-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-10
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Cushion/Mound-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm20.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
365.76 cm30.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Ivory
White, Pink, Light Pink, Lavender, Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Light Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long hair-like leaves
Oblong to lance-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Slow
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Divison, Layering, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
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
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
14-14-14 Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
-
Plant Tolerance
Drought
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
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bugs, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Mites, Spider Mites
Butterflies
Allergy
Blurred vision, Diarrhea, Rash, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Borders, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Dysentry, Eye Infection, Indigestion, Organ Stones
Part of Plant Used
-
Flowering Tips, Flowers, Leaves, Shoots, Stem
Other Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Houseplant, Tropical
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
BEAUCARNEA recurvata
CUPHEA hyssopifolia
Common Name
Bottle Palm, Ponytail Palm
False Heather, Mexican Heather, Hawaiian Heather
In Hindi
Ponytail Palm
Mexican Heather
In German
Pferdeschwanz Palm
Mexican Heather
In French
Ponytail Palm
Mexicaine Heather
In Spanish
Cola de caballo de palma
Heather mexicana
In Greek
αλογοουρά παλάμη
Μεξικού Heather
In Portuguese
rabo- de palma
Mexican Heather
In Polish
kucyk palmowy
Mexican Heather
In Latin
ponytail palmarum
Mexicanus Heather
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Vascular plant
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Asparagales
Myrtales
Family
Liliaceae
Lythraceae
Genus
Beaucarnea
Cuphea
Clade
Angiosperms
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Nolinoideae
Lythroideae
Number of Species
10250
1
27800
👆🏻