Scientific: Cuphea llavea
Common: bat faced cuphea, butterfly nectar plant
Family: Lythraceae
Origin: Central America and Mexico
Pronounciation: Cu-FEE-a ya-VEE-a
Hardiness zones
Sunset 12-24 (with sun protection in zones 12 and 13), otherwise grown as summer annual
USDA 9 (with sun protection in desert climates), 10-11, otherwise grown as summer annual
Landscape Use: Festive foreground accent plant for shade gardens, informal edging, container or hanging baskets.
Form & Character: Loose, upright and spreading, delicate, interesting, refined.
Growth Habit: Evergreen, mostly herbaceous annual to short-lived perennial, subshrub, moderate growth to 12- to 24-inches tall with slightly wider spread, sprawling.
Foliage/Texture: Lanceolate, sessile deep green leaves with distinct pinnate veins, 1- to 2-inches long, somewhat scabrous to pubescent, margins smooth Small, opposite, linear to lanceolate leaves to 3/4-inch long; fine texture.
Flowers & Fruits: Many axillary flowers, multi-colored from orange, red to deep purple/black, white protruding anthers, fruits inconspicuous, dry capsule.
Seasonal Color: Light display of flowers during spring, summer and fall.
Temperature: In Phoenix, tolerant of winter cold, but requires protection from mid-day and western afternoon sun during the heat of summer.
Light: Partial eastern sun to full shade in Phoenix is best.
Soil: Well-drained soils amended with organic matter for best performance.
Watering: Regular water is best.
Pruning: Mostly none required, but if one must prune then only very light tip pruning on an infrequent basis.
Propagation: Seed or softwood cuttings.
Disease and Pests: Spider mites
Additional comments: In Phoenix, bat faced cuphea is a relatively rarely seen but great accent plant if grown in the right protected location. Its flowers attract bees, birds, hummingbirds and butterflies.
There are many popular cultivated varieties including:
