Cuphea hyssopifolia, Mexican heather,Hawaiian Heather, Elfin Herb,

Cuphea hyssopifolia, the false heather, Mexican heather, or elfin herb, is a small tropical evergreen sub-shrub belonging to Lythraceae (Loosestrife family). The plant is native to Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. It has naturalized to Hawaii and is considered weedy there. Apart from false heather, it is also known as Hawaiian Heather, Elfin Herb, Elfin Plant, Cuphea, Clammy Cuphea, Corail, Tarweed, Mexican Heather, Heather, and Elfin bush. Genus name ‘Cuphea’ comes from the Greek word kyphos meaning curved or humped in probable reference to the shape of its seed capsules. The species epithet ‘hyssopifolia’ refers to the shape of the leaves which are like those of the herb Hyssop. Not true heather, the leaves resemble to those of Scotch heather (Calluna vulgaris), thus derived its common name false heather. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and insecticide. It is often grown as an ornamental in the tropics – in the temperate zone, it can be grown as a summer bedding plant.

False Heather Facts

Plant Description

False heather is an erect to spreading, low-branching, compact, free-flowering, evergreen subshrub that normally grows about 60 cm (24 in) tall and 90 cm (35 in) wide. The plant is found growing in the understorey of deciduous and semi-deciduous lowland, mid-elevation forests, in oak forests, edges of creeks and rivers, in humid forests, in disturbed areas, and moist forests. The plant can grow in a variety of soil, including clay, sandy, and loam. They can also grow in the slightly acidic to slightly alkaline and neutral soil as well. A nutrient-rich soil that can allow the excess water to quickly move out (well-draining) is the best soil for Mexican Heather plants. It is moderately salt-tolerant, adaptable to various soils with good drainage in full sun, and tolerates high summer heat and some drought but grows best with regular moisture. It is a perennial in zones 9 and higher but is generally grown as an annual.

Stem

The plant has stems with ascending trichomes, reddish-brown or white, sometimes also tiny hairy. Internodes are generally 1/2 the length of the underlying leaves.

Leaves

Leaves are simple, subsessile (with slight stalks), opposite, pinnately-veined, oblong, sometimes elliptic, glossy, medium to dark green, 10 to 30 mm long, and 1.5 to 4 mm wide, with pubescent (covered with hair) undersides. They are arranged alternately in the length of the stems giving the plant a fernlike appearance. They are glabrous or almost glabrous on the upper surface, the lower midrib or the leaf margins are sometimes strigous, the base is rounded to acute? or attenuated. The apex is acute, rare once obtuse. The petiole is up to 2 mm or absent; upper stem leaves are not reduced.

Flowers

Flowers are solitary, alternate in the axils of new leaves, trumpet-shaped, pedicels 2 to 7 mm long, ending in 2 persistent bracts. The floral tube is 5-8.5 mm, the base rounded to slightly descending, the mouth blunt, not extended ventrally, the dorsally green or purplish tube, glabrous, or the veins sparsely setose, rarely also finely hirsute. Six petals, purple, 3 to 3.5 mm long. Sepals crinkled, rarely absent. The calyx is 5 to 8 mm long; floral tube pale green, sometimes turning purplish toward apex, glabrous or slightly pubescent. The plant blooms profusely from summer to frost. False heather flowers range from the typical purple and lavender to the less frequently seen white, pink, and deep rose varieties.

Fruit

Fertile flowers are followed by Fruits are 3-lobed oblong-ovoid, dehiscent, leathery, or berrylike capsules about 3.5 mm long containing 5-8 small seeds. Seeds are reddish-brown, suborbicular, each about 1 to 1.5mm in diameter, and pitted. Plants may be propagated by cuttings, layering, or division. They seed freely, and new seedlings that appear may be easily transplanted.

Traditional uses and benefits of False Heather

• It is used medicinally in Mexico and in Bangladesh.
• In Brazil, it is used to treat high cholesterol? and triglycerides.
• In French Guiana, stem and leaf are macerated in rum and rubbed onto sprains.
• A leaf infusion is used for colds and chills.
• In Bangladesh, it is used as tonic and insect repellent; also used for dermatitis, fever?, and cough.
• The leaves and flowers are used as a tonic in the treatment of fevers and coughs.
• The plant is a rich source of phenolic compounds which have been shown to have strong antioxidant activity.
• In town, infusions of the aerial parts of false heather are used for treating stomach disorders.
• A decoction is taken as a remedy for malaria.
• An infusion is used to relieve feverish states or even to calm a cough.
• Flowers are anti-pathetic, anti-tussive, and balsamic is very effective for respiratory ailments.
• It is also used as a wound healer, as well as for snake bites.
• False heather is used to treat indigestion, dysentery, wounds, bruises, and muscle pain?.
• The plant is often used in the prevention of organ stones, subsidence of consumption and fever?, curing of infections especially with eyes, healing of poisonous bites and stings.

Other Facts

• It is widely grown and sold as an ornamental plant.
• The leaves and flowers of are used as insecticide.
• Industrial oils made from these fatty acids have a range of uses, including as a de-foaming agent; a booster for soaps and detergents; and in health and beauty products.
• They can also be used in foods, mostly as vegetable shortenings.

References