Cuphea ignea A.DC., Lythraceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Cuphea platycentra Lem.; Parsonia ignea (A. DC) Standl.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Mexican cigarplant, cigar flower, firecracker plant, firecracker-bush

French: herbe cigarette, herbe piment

Hawaiian: kīkā, pua kīkā

Spanish: fosforitos

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Spreading shrubs; stems 3-5 dm long, many-branched, subglabrous.  Leaves lanceolate to narrowly ovate or elliptic, 20-45 mm long, 5-12 mm wide, apex acuminate, base narrowly cuneate, petioles 1-7 mm long.  Flowers solitary in the leaf axils, pedicels 5-10 mm long; floral tube scarlet, white, subcylindrical, with a conspicuous subglobose spur, slightly falcate, 20-25 mm long; calyx teeth spreading, the lower ones slightly longer; petals absent; stamens conspicuously exserted unevenly 2-4 mm beyond the floral tube.  Capsules oblong-ovoid, 8-10 mm long.  Seeds reddish brown, suborbicular, ca. 2 mm in diameter"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 866).

Habitat/ecology:  Cultivated and sparingly naturalized in Hawai‘i (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 866).

Propagation:  Seed (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 866).

Native range:  Mexico (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 866).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive cultivated	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced cultivated	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (pp. 480, 526, 553) "Localmente llamada ‘fosforitos’, fue encontrada en un unico jardin del pueblo de San Juan Bautista".
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 284-285) Voucher cited: DA 3006
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 866) Sparingly naturalized.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Chiapas, Oaxaca
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 30) Cultivated only

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Trè's envahissant"
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive	Baret, Stephane/Rouget, Mathieu/Richardson, David M./Lavergne, Christophe/Egoh, Benis/Dupont, Joel/Strasberg, Dominique (2006) (p. 758)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Cuphea ignea, please let us know.