Short, evergreen shrubs growing 20 – 70 cm tall. Leaves opposite, narrowly lanceolate, 10-35 × 1-8 mm. Solitary flowers grow from the leaf axils along the branches. Each flower has 6 pink, purple or white petals (3-3.5 mm long) emerging from a green floral tube (5-8 mm long). The calyx teeth are triangular and the calyx may be glabrous or with a few stiff hairs. Fruits are 3-lobed capsules containing 5-8 seeds, each about 1 mm in diameter (Flora Mesoamericana, 2016).
Related invasive species
- Cuphea hyssopifolia
Related Farm Practice
- Flora
Considered a transformative invasive plant in Cuba by Oviedo Prieto et al. (2012);however, no information could be found on this species’ environmental impacts. It is considered a potentially serious weed in Hawaii (HEAR, 2016). Naturalized in tropical regions around the world where it has been widely planted as an ornamental (HEAR, 2016).