Cuphea carthagenensis
Cuphea carthagenensis
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Cuphea carthagenensis is a plant of the tropical regions of central N. America, but is said to be suitable for cultivation as an annual in parts of the temperate zone. Continental areas with hot summers, and Mediterranean regions have been specifically mentioned, the most important factors are the length of the growing season and the amount of summer heat required to ripen the crop. Prefers a light to medium soil texture, which can be free, impeded or seasonally waterlogged. It can grow in acidic, neutral or alkaline soils[1]. Cuphea has only been investigated as a potential commercial crop for a few years, and still has the characteristics of a wild plant. Those characteristics that differ from cultivated plants are its propensity to seed shatter, its indeterminate flowering nature, and its overall stickiness. If these wild traits can be overcome, Cuphea's chemistry, coupled with the annual and therefore renewable nature of the plant, certainly can make it a new crop[2]. This species is self-fertile[3]. Germination in central European climate is slow (14 - 20 days) even in late May after the last frosts, but this is made up for by quick growth and early seed ripening[2]. Germination is slowed by the thick seed hull. The first seed is produced six weeks after sowing in the greenhouse[2]. This is a very common and variable weedy plant almost throughout Central America except at high elevations[4].
Propagation
Seed - can be sown in situ after the last expected frosts[5]. In order to obtain larger plants, extend the growing season and hopefully achieve larger yields of seeds, the seeds can be sown in a greenhouse in early spring at around 21°c. Germination usually takes a few weeks because of the hard seed coat. Prick the seedlings out into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out after the last expected frosts[5]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Cuphea+carthagenensis>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]Invasive Species Compendium — http://www.cabi.org ↩︎An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc).
- [2]The National Non-Food Crops Centre Crop Database — http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/crops/pd.cfm ↩︎An excellent on-line information source, with information on over 100 species (as of 2006) of plants being investigated as bio-crops.
- [3]Advances in New Crops. Proceedings of the First National Symposium NEW CROPS: Research, Development, Economics — Jules Janick and J.E.Simon (eds.) · Timber Press, Portland, Oregon · 1990 · ISBN 0-88192-166-1 ↩︎This book is the proceedings of the First National Symposium on New Crops held October 23-26, 1988 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The contents include papers from invited speakers, papers derived from posters, and abstracts from poster presentations
- [4]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
- [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [6]A comprehensive review of Cuphea (Lythraceae) — Mohamed R Elgindi; Nahla Ayoub; Rola Milad and Reham Hassan · 2011 · ISBN 0975-8585 ↩︎Gives information on the traditional medicinal uses of various cuphea species, and also a review of modern research and the compounds the plants contain.
- [7]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region