2. Cuphea P. Browne (cuphea)

About 260 species, North America to South America, Caribbean Islands, most diverse in the neotropics.

Some tropical species and hybrids of Cuphea are cultivated as garden annuals in Missouri, especially C. hyssopifolia Kunth (false heather), C. ignea A. DC. (cigar flower, firecracker plant), and C. llavea Lex. (bat-faced cuphea). The seed oils of many species in the genus are rich in short- and medium-chain fatty acids, which are important in the manufacture of detergents, lubricants, and other products (Graham et al., 1981; Graham and Kleiman, 1985). The sticky, glandular hairs in this genus cause livestock to avoid grazing on the plants and interfere with the ability of small insects to crawl into the flowers (Graham, 1964). The flowers of various species thus are pollinated mainly by hummingbirds and long-tongued insects.