Common Name: Cigar Plant
Scientific Name: Cuphea ignea
Type of Plant: Shrub
Description: Cigar Plant is a small, multi-stemmed shrub with prolific red blooms that seem to burst like fireworks. These small red flowers have black and white lips and a tubular shape similar to that of a cigar. The white rim gives the appearance of the cigar being lit, hence the common name.
Mature Size: 2′ tall x 2′ wide
Blooms: Year-round
Fruit: No
Climate Requirements: Growing cigar plants need light and average soil that drains well. While somewhat drought resistant, cigar plant performs best when it is watered regularly.
Care Requirements: Care of cigar plant often includes the pinching of leggy stems during the growing season. An occasional grooming in the care of cigar plants helps them maintain their rounded, attractive form.
Spacing: Space plants 24″ apart
Water Needs: Average
Maintenance: Low
Attracts: Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Special Uses/Attributes: Cigar Plant’s neat, rounded shape, and year-round flowering also makes this plant suitable for containers.
Florida Native: No