Cuphea hyssopifolia Kunth
Family: Lythraceae
Taxonomy: Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Myrtales > Lythraceae > Cuphea > Cuphea hyssopifolia Kunth
Common name [English]: False Heather
Vernacular name [Malayalam]:
Nativity: Mexico to Central America
Habitat: Occurs in the understorey of deciduous and semi-deciduous lowland and mid-elevation forests and in oak forests. Grows along the edges of creeks and rivers and in humid forests, and in disturbed areas.
Description: Short, evergreen shrubs growing 20 – 70 cm tall. Leaves opposite, narrowly lanceolate. Solitary flowers grow from the leaf axils along the branches. Each flower has 6 pink, purple or white petals emerging from a green floral tube . The calyx teeth are triangular and the calyx may be glabrous or with a few stiff hairs. Fruits are 3-lobed capsules containing 5-8 seeds, each about 1 mm in diameter.
Flowering and Fruiting: Summer
Uses: Widely grown and sold as an ornamental plant. It is used medicinally in Mexico and in Bangladesh. The plant is considered attractive to honeybees and other pollinators
Cultivation: Ornamental, Wild
References
http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org
https://indiabiodiversity.org