Cuphea ignea

Cuphea ignea.

Cuphea ignea, the Cigar or Firecracker plant, are sub-shrubs around 60 cm high.
They are evergreen with mostly opposite and decussate leaves.
There may be some leaves in whorls.
The elliptic to ovate leaves, with pointed tips, are 3 to 4 cm long.
The midrib is white and prominent on both surfaces.
There are no hairs.

Axillary inflorescences are single flowers on short stalks with small bracteoles.
The narrow, tubular flowers are around 3 cm long.
The ribbed calyx is red and yellow with a small spur at the base.
There are hairs on the outer surface of the lower section.
The 6 short sepal lobes have smaller, green hairy appendages between them.
There are 2 tiny dark purple petals (or some say none).

The stamens, of different lengths, are inserted into the upper part of the hypanthium.
They extend beyond the end of the tube.
The irregularly shaped white ovary has a pink style with a small stigma.
It extends just past the anthers.
There is a glandular nectary in the small spur.
The column holding the ovules rotates through slits in the ovary wall and hypanthium.

J.F.