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Cuphea hyssopifolia

Kunth (1824)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Myrtales Family: Lythraceae Genus: Cuphea

false heather, Mexican heather

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect to spreading subshrubs.

Stems: Stems 3–5 dm long, many-branched, puberulent and reddish strigose, the hairs sometimes spreading.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades linear, sometimes the larger ones linear–elliptic, 10–30 mm long, 1.5–4 mm wide. Surfaces finely scabrous. Margins entire. 1-veined. Subsessile. Stipules minute or absent.

Flowers: Flowers solitary in the leaf axils, pedicels 2–7 mm long. Calyx teeth 6, triangular, usually with small appendages alternating with the teeth, valvate, appearing as lobes on the floral tube. Corolla of 6 petals, alternate with the sepals, distinct, attached at summit of or within floral tube, crumbled in bud, sometimes absent, unequal, the dorsal pair usually larger; floral tube surrounding the ovary, sometimes subtended by an epicalyx of connate pairs of bracts; pale purple (or white?), drying pale purple or violet, ca. 3–3.5 mm long. Stamens 6–14, included and inserted in 2 unequal whorls on the floral tube; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2–4(–6)-carpellate, with as many cells, at least at base, rarely 1-celled, placentation axile, rarely parietal when 1-celled; ovules 2 to numerous, anatropous, ascending; style 1, filiform; stigma slightly 2-lobed.

Fruit: Capsules membranous; oblong–ovoid; loculicidally dehiscent laterally; the adjacent wall of the floral tube also splitting along its length and the placenta projecting laterally out of the capsules; 1–celled; ca. 3.5 mm long. Seeds (1) to numerous; reddish brown; suborbicular; ca. 1–1.5 mm in diameter; pitted; endosperm absent or very scanty.

Ploidy: 2n = 16; 32; 64

Habitat: naturalized primarily in mesic; open; disturbed sites and streambeds.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

O'ahu Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: F.W.H.von Humboldt, A.J.A.Bonpland & C.S.Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. 6: 199 (1824)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:866 (H); Staples & Herbst 2005:373 (KEY), 374 (DESCR); Imada 2007:37 (EM); Oppenheimer 2011:8 (O)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Cuphea hyssopifolia East Maui, Hana Dist.. Kipahulu along banks of Koukouai Stream Preserved_Specimen sparingly naturalized subshrubs along banks of Koukouai Stream. Flowers purple. Oppenheimer, H.L. 100523 Maui BISH 2005-10-29
2 Cuphea hyssopifolia Honolulu: Manoa Valley; University of Hawaii Manoa Campus, Sherman Laboratory partial shade Preserved_Specimen Shrub to 0.3 m. Flowers purple; not fragrant (mid-morning) Lau, J. 1157 Oahu BISH 1985-06-30
3 Cuphea hyssopifolia East Maui, Hana District, Pokaekane Stream above Keanae Common along streambank under alien lowland riparian forest. Preserved_Specimen Flowers lavender. Welton, P. 2093 Maui BISH 2000-09-03
4 Cuphea hyssopifolia Hilo; H. Eunice Nursery, 792 Kealakai St., in the Panaewa Farm Lots Commercial nursery for sale as ornamental. Preserved_Specimen Small shrub ca 12' tall; flws magenta. Herbst, D.R. 9272 Hawaii BISH 1991-01-09
5 Cuphea hyssopifolia Puna, Keaau transfer dump Preserved_Specimen Small shrub with purple flowers Herbst, D.R. 5544 Hawaii BISH 1975-10-23
6 Cuphea hyssopifolia Honolulu OBSERVATION Curtis Daehler Oahu HAPI 3/17/2007
7 Cuphea hyssopifolia Kaumana Substation disturbed vegetation of 1881 lava flow; open Metrosideros with understory of introduced shrubs and Dicranopteris; center of lava road Preserved_Specimen Wagner, W.L. 4635 Hawaii BISH 1982-11-16
8 Cuphea hyssopifolia National Park, Makaopuhi-Kalapana trail Preserved_Specimen Stone, B.C. 2939 Hawaii BISH 1959-06-24
9 Cuphea hyssopifolia Hilo-Kona Road Preserved_Specimen Meebold, A. Hawaii BISH 1932-05-01
10 Cuphea hyssopifolia Ko'olauloa District, Pupukea. Naturalized in wet lawns anf pastures, cultivated nearby. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 70912 Oahu BISH 2009-07-22
11 Cuphea hyssopifolia volcanos near Hilo Preserved_Specimen Faurie, A. 846 Hawaii BISH 1909-05-01
12 Cuphea hyssopifolia UH campus, Sherman Laboratory partial shade Preserved_Specimen Shrub to 0.3 m. Flowers purple; not fragrant (mid-morning) Lau, J. 1157 Oahu BISH 1985-06-30
13 Cuphea hyssopifolia Puna, Olaa, 0.9 mi from Mt. View intermittent stream bed where it is crossed by S Kulani Rd. Preserved_Specimen Small shrub with purple flowers Herbst, D.R. 5818 Hawaii BISH 1976-04-19
14 Cuphea hyssopifolia East Maui, Hana District, Keanae, Palauhulu Stream Secondary Lowland Wet Forest. On mossy bank of perennial stream Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 61910 Maui BISH 2019-06-11
15 Cuphea hyssopifolia Honolulu District. Diamond Head Crater. Growing in marshy area near northeastern entrance tunnel Growing at edge of marsh with Brachiaria and other grasses and forbs. Preserved_Specimen Shrub with Blue flowers. Herbst, D.R. 9774 Oahu BISH 1996-06-11
16 Cuphea hyssopifolia National Park, Residence area hedge Preserved_Specimen Fagerlund, G.O. 213 Hawaii BISH 1942-11-26
17 Cuphea hyssopifolia Cultivated, Keolu Hills, Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii Growing at edge of garden and escaped out into lawn, mesic. Preserved_Specimen Subshrub, opposite dark green lvs, small purple to pink flowers. Crago, L.M. 2005132 Oahu BISH 2005-05-09
18 Cuphea hyssopifolia Schofield Barracks, East Range, In regularly mowed open field with Andropogon virginicus, Polygala paniculata, Axonopus fissifolius. Site monitored for Schizachyrium condensatum infestation. Preserved_Specimen One of two mature plants noted. Based on location, likely naturalized and not planted. Kawelo, K. 514 Oahu BISH 2019-04-18
19 Cuphea hyssopifolia Honolulu, 2436 Burbank St garden Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1940-04-02
20 Cuphea hyssopifolia Hilo; H. Eunice Nursery, 792 Kealakai St., in the Panaewa Farm Lots Commercial nursery for sale as ornamental. Preserved_Specimen Dwarf plant < 6' tall; very compact. Herbst, D.R. 9273 Hawaii BISH 1991-01-09
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