Japanese name: クフェア ランケオラータ Scientific name:Cuphea lanceolata
[Overview]
An evergreen shrub 45–60 cm tall.
It is tender to cold, so it is also treated as an annual.
It branches well and grows densely.
The whole plant bears glandular hairs.
The leaves are simple and decussate (opposite, each pair at right angles to the last), lanceolate to oblong, about 7 cm long, with entire margins.
The flowers are borne singly at the stem tips and in the leaf axils; they are tubular, 6-petaled, and deep reddish purple to cherry red, with the upper 2 petals large and the lower 4 small.
The calyx is a slender tube with 6 lobes and a short spur at the base.
The fruit is a capsule.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
To overwinter it, keep it at 5°C or above in a warm, sunny place indoors.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained, fertile soil.
In poor light it becomes leggy and flowers poorly.
Be careful not to overwater; from spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and keep it on the dry side in winter.
From spring to autumn, place slow-release fertilizer on the soil.
Remove spent flowers promptly.
There are no particular pests or diseases.
