Cuphea ignea seeds - Cigar flower

Cuphea ignea, commonly called the cigar plant, is a small shrub native to Mexico, highly prized in frost-free regions. It forms a compact clump not exceeding 60cm in height and barely less in width. Its evergreen, dense, dark green foliage provides an ideal backdrop, creating a remarkable contrast with its dazzling flowering. From late spring to autumn, the plant is covered in a multitude of slender, elongated, intense red flowers. It can only be grown in the ground in the mildest areas; elsewhere, it must be planted in a pot to protect it from winter cold. It is otherwise undemanding; it enjoys a very sunny position and requires regular watering during the summer. Sowing has a high success rate, although the very fine seeds are somewhat tricky to handle.

The Cuphea genus, with over 250 species, belongs to the Lythraceae family, which includes both herbaceous plants and woody species suited to temperate to warm climates, such as Pomegranate, with its flowers or fruits, and crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) with its magnificent summer blooms. Cuphea ignea (synonym Cuphea platycentra) is native to Mexico and the West Indies, where it flowers almost continuously throughout the year. Its many common names - Chinese match, cigar herb, or firecracker plant - stem from the distinctive morphology of its tubular, bright orange-red flowers. With its flared tip, marked with white and a purple edge, from which a few dark stamens emerge, the flower does indeed resemble a glowing cigar. Measuring approximately 3cm in length, the flowers begin to open in favourable climates from April to May and continue to renew until September-October. They appear in the axils of the leaves, whose deep to dark green colour particularly highlights them. The evergreen leaves are elliptical to lanceolate with a pointed tip and measure 3 to 7cm in length, while their surface is satiny to glossy. The plant branches easily and forms a dense, somewhat irregular clump, reaching about 60cm in height with an equivalent spread. A legacy of its tropical origin, it tolerates heat very well and, when grown in open ground, withstands periods of moderate drought. It prefers full sun or very light shade in southern climates and moist, well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil, not tolerating excess lime.

The cigar plant adapts equally well to outdoor or indoor cultivation. Indoors, it thrives in a very bright location, at a temperature between 18 and 24 °C. Water to keep the substrate slightly moist, allowing the surface to dry out between waterings, with standard ambient humidity. It must be brought indoors as soon as night-time temperatures drop below 5 to 7 °C. In sheltered areas, you can plant it in borders with other tender plants such as Streptosolen jamesonii with its striking orange flowers, or to create a strong colour contrast, with Cape Leadwort 'Dark Blue' with its astonishing blue blooms. Cuphea ignea is also an excellent choice for containers on a terrace or balcony. To create an exotic scene, grow it alongside citrus trees that can overwinter with it in a conservatory.