What is Cuphea?

Cuphea or wax algae belongs to lytraceae or loosestife, a family that has about 250 species that come from tropical and subtropical America. Many Cuphea plants have distinctive tubular flowers in different shades of red or purple and often with several or no petals; For this reason, they are often raised as garden samples or houseplants, depending on the species. Some species produce oils similar to coconut and palm oils and horticulturalists cross these species to create a more productive hybrid generating oil. Several species are rich in beneficial fatty acids, which can increase its value as food for human consumption. Ignea . The general name for this attractive flower is a cigarette floral or cigar; Other names are the Flip -flops or a Mexican cigar. The plant has a slim red floral tube with white mouth, which is ringing black or dark gray, so remembered a spent cigar. Its flower has two small purpleblack petals. Gardeners generally increase this tension as a garden plant or in a room, depending on the climate.

Cuphea hyssopifolia is another popular plant that people mistakenly call false or Mexican heaths; It's not a real heather. This shrub, which comes from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, is generally a permanent garden shrub in warmer areas and only an annual plant in colder areas. Small shrub with narrow leaf has six -member flowers, which can be purple, lavender, red, pink or white, depending on the variety.

Some gardeners often consider two other species that are highly fashionable: c. Miniata , which is sometimes confused with c. c. Miniata has distinctive flowers that have a green and purple chalice and two large Scarlet Petals. His close cousin, c. HookeRiana , has a red chalice with two large and four small purple petals, which are sometimes so dark in shade that it seems almost black.

Botanists have found that certain types of hills plant contain a large amount of valuable fatty acids. Farmers in tropical regions can usually grow this crop with several problems, reducing the need for indiscriminate logging of tropical forests. Given the fact that some Cuphea races have benefits for environment and health, some scientists try to breed hybrids that produce better oils in higher quantities, trying to persuade farmers to increase them. Some scientists use newer biotechnological techniques to improve the production of vegetable oil and fatty acids.