Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Shrub
Origin
Southeastern Asia
Mexico, Central America
Types
alpine shootingstar , Jewelled shootingstar , Sierran shootingstar , broad-leaved shootingstar , Frigid Shootingstar
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Number of Varieties
1735
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, open Woodlands
Tropical areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-159-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-10
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Cushion/Mound-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
240.00 cm20.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm30.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Salmon, Coral
White, Pink, Light Pink, Lavender, Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Red, Green, Burgundy
Light Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Gray Green, Dark Green, Burgundy
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Gray Green, Dark Green, Burgundy
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Gray Green, Dark Green, Burgundy
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate elongated
Oblong to lance-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
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
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, 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
Aphids, Fungal leaf spots
-
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
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Butterflies
Allergy
Runny nose, sneezing
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
along a porch, deck or patio, Beautification, Mixed Border, small hedge
Borders, Ground Cover
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
Other Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Hedges, Mixed Border, Screening, Wind Break, Tropical
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
CLERODENDRUM quadriloculare
CUPHEA hyssopifolia
Common Name
American cowslip , mosquito bills , mad violets , sailor caps
False Heather, Mexican Heather, Hawaiian Heather
In Hindi
shooting star
Mexican Heather
In German
shooting star
Mexican Heather
In French
Dodecatheon
Mexicaine Heather
In Spanish
Dodecatheon
Heather mexicana
In Greek
shooting star
Μεξικού Heather
In Portuguese
Dodecatheon
Mexican Heather
In Polish
shooting star
Mexican Heather
In Latin
shooting star
Mexicanus Heather
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Spermatophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Primulales
Myrtales
Family
Verbenaceae
Lythraceae
Genus
Dodecatheon
Cuphea
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Lythroideae
Number of Species
17250
1
27800
👆🏻