PlantFiles: Cigar Plant
Cuphea melvillea

I live next door to my mom, near the coast of Central California, and have had great luck with Cigar Plants, once we found the best locations for them. We did have to do some moving around, but found they like the east side of our property, as well as, our southern exposure middle garden. We bought 3 or 4 from a local nursery, but now have around 8, thanks to my mom's penchant for sticking any broken branches into a nearby pot to reroot. We never did anything special, just watered them until they got about 18" tall, and planted them. They do grow quickly and have to be pruned, but we go for a more "naturalized" look in our garden, so it's not a big deal. The hummingbirds love them and my cats enjoy chirping at them when they're feeding near the windows! We don't get any butterflies on them, mainly because of our daily winds, but we like hummers better anyways!

I have had this plant in a bed in front of the house for several years. It seems fairly indestructible and although I love it, I had no idea that it would grow as tall as it does and I am constantly pruning it back to keep it below the hibiscus behind it. I originally got this at a nursery that went out of business after Hurricane Charley and would love to be able to find more of it so I could plant it in different locations.

I had this plant at previous house It was wonderful. It was always in bloom, loads of buterflies, skippers and best of all hummers throughout the day. It was in dappled sun at best under oak trees, and watered once a week. Once a year needed spraying because of the tiny blue-green beetles. Now at the new house I hoped for the same beauty. They now share a bed with a Chaste plant and get sun all day, The tips are burning, same beetles but more often, leaves curled, old wood looks caloused with knots all over splitting open. They do not look healthy at all. No books I have found or garden centers can explain it.

My cuphea is growing in a pot. It can dry out very quickly. After missing a couple of days or water, it was almost dead. I pruned it severly and now make sure the pot is always in a saucer of water. Apparently, root rot is not a problem for this plant. It has come back beautifully.

This plant grows here in Hong Kong very well; its local name "Cigar Flower" is "Xue Jia Hua" in Mandarin

We've just planted a whole lot in our garden and it's doing fine.
Peter Forsythe
Hong Kong

San Antonio, TX

I have a 'David Verity' (I think - some sources state that it is an ignea, can not find the species name)cigar plant growing in a xeriscaped section of my yard. It requires more water than the Esperanza, Oleander, Lantana, Salvia, Betony and other plants. It blooms continually from late spring/early summer until the first frost. The foliage is a deep green which sets off the vibrant orange flowers that are off white colored at the ends and purple at the very tip.

Although the flowers are small and delicate looking, there are so many of them that they make a nice showing. They freeze to the ground, but resprout faithfully in the spring and grow quickly. I never have to prune it to keep it blooming. It attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

I have this plant and it has survived with temps in the low teens, zone 7. Only blooms in the fall for me. Great for late or wintering hummers.

Cuphea melvillea is one of the largest Cupheas in plant and flower size. It will grow to about 5´ tall and wide in the first year. It needs full sun or partial shade. An attractive shrub, it is a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds. Prune plants to encourage a strong woody base that stands up to strong winds. Prune 2-4 times a year for sturdier, flowering plants. Considered a tropical, it can take temperatures as low as 20F with good mulch.