Cigar Plant October 28, 2012

Cigar Plant is in the Cuphea family (pronounced coo-fee-uh).  It dies back to the ground in the winter.  It is a good bloomer, it blooms heavily in the spring and fall with intermittent blooms through the summer.  The clump will get bigger each year.  Last spring I stuck a shovel right through the middle of my clump at my home in Houston and moved some of the plant to Burton.  It's doing fine in both places.  Very hardy.  The flowers look like lit cigars, see the close up photos below.  Very cute.  Cupheas have a lot of personality.  Some cuphea flowers look like bat or mice faces.  They are all bee, hummer, and butterfly friendly due to their yummy flute-like flowers.