Cuphea ignea
Cuphea ignea, the cigar plant, cigar flower, firecracker plant, or Mexican cigar, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Cuphea of the family Lythraceae. It is a tropical, densely branched evergreen subshrub. This species, native to Mexico and the West Indies, produces small, tubular, bright red to orange flowers. Each flower is tipped with a thin, white rim and two small purple-black petals. The flower is said to resemble a lit cigar, hence the name ignea, which comes from the Latin for "fire".
The leaves are small, elliptical and of a bright green colour. It grows to about.
In temperate regions Cuphea ignea requires a warm. sheltered spot, as it does not tolerate frost. Alternately it may be grown under glass or indoors as a houseplant. In the UK this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
