Cuphea calophylla
Cham. & Schltdl.
Lythraceae
Cuphea mesostemon Koehne
Cuphea microstyla Koehne
Cuphea orthodisca Koehne
Cuphea plumbaginea Mart.
Parsonsia calophylla (Cham. & Schltdl.) Standl.
Common Name:
General Information
Cuphea calophylla is a usually erect, evergreen perennial plant with rigid, much-branched stems that usually become more or less woody and persist; the plant can grow up to 35cm tall[
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- 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/
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- 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/
,
369- Title
- Flora of Costa Rica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C.
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
- Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago
- Year
- 1938
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.
Range
S. America - Argentina to Ecuador; C. America - Panama to Mexico
Habitat
Pastures, thickets and forests; at elevations from 1,100 - 2,200 metres in Costa Rica[
369- Title
- Flora of Costa Rica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C.
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
- Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago
- Year
- 1938
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.
]
Properties
| Weed Potential | Yes |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Perennial |
| Height | 0.25 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Species in this genus generally prefer a position in full sun, but are tolerant of partial shade. They generally grow best in average, medium moisture, well-drained soils[
352- Title
- KemperCentreForHomeGardeningPlantFinder
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/
- Publisher
- Missouri Botanical Garden
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Basic cultivation details, plant uses, habitat etc for several thousand species of plants, mainly from the temperate zone.
].
Called 'hog weed' and 'hog bush' in Belize, the plant often invades cultivated ground, and because of the large roots
and the tough hard stems, can be very difficult to eradicate[
331- Title
- Flora of Guatemala
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 1946 - 1976
- ISBN
-
- Description
- 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/
].
The seed of Cuphea species is generally a good source of medium length fatty acids, which have a range of industrial and cosmetic applications and can also be used in foods[
289- Title
- The National Non-Food Crops Centre Crop Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/crops/pd.cfm
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line information source, with information on over 100 species (as of 2006) of plants being investigated as bio-crops.
]. Several species are being trialled as seed oil crops in temperate zone countries, though they are unlikely to become a commercial crop in the tropics simply because it is so much easier to grow oil crops such as palm oil (Elaeis species) and coconut (Cocos nucifera).
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
Aerial parts of the plant are used in the treatment of hypertension. A hot water extract of the plant is used to induce diuresis[
1209- Title
- A comprehensive review of Cuphea (Lythraceae)
- Publication
- Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences 2(3):847-855 · July 2011
- Author
- Mohamed R Elgindi; Nahla Ayoub; Rola Milad and Reham Hassan
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2011
- ISBN
- 0975-8585
- Description
- Gives information on the traditional medicinal uses of various cuphea species, and also a review of modern research and the compounds the plants contain.
].
Other Uses
The seed contains around 76.5 - 82.8% lauric acid.
We have no more specific information for this species but, although rather small, the seed of Cuphea species is generally a good source of medium length fatty acids[
289- Title
- The National Non-Food Crops Centre Crop Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/crops/pd.cfm
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line information source, with information on over 100 species (as of 2006) of plants being investigated as bio-crops.
].
Industrial oils made from these fatty acids have a range of uses, including as a defoaming agent; a booster for soaps and detergents; and in health and beauty products[
289- Title
- The National Non-Food Crops Centre Crop Database
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/crops/pd.cfm
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent on-line information source, with information on over 100 species (as of 2006) of plants being investigated as bio-crops.
]. They can also be used in foods, mostly as vegetable shortenings.
Propagation
Seed - can be sown in situ[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Germination usually takes a few weeks because of the hard seed coat.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
