Cuphea epilobiifolia
Koehne
Lythraceae
Parsonsia epilobiifolia (Koehne) Standl.
Common Name:
General Information
Cuphea epilobiifolia is an erect, much-branched, evergreen perennial plant with stems that can become more or less woody and persist; it can grow 40 - 200cm tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
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 - Peru, Venezuela; C. America - Panama to Costa Rica
Habitat
Margins of streams, rocks in streams and wet forest; at elevations up to 1,300 metres.
Properties
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Shrub |
| Height | 1.00 m |
| Pollinators | Insects, Humming birds |
| 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.
].
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
An aqueous infusion of the fresh aerial parts is taken orally for the treatment of rheumatism[
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 67.9% lauric acid[
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.
].
We have no further 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.
