Cigar Plant

Botanical Name: Cuphea ignea

Cigar plant features tubular, orange-red flowers rimmed with white and purple, giving the flowers the look of a burning cigar with ashes at the tip. The flowers appear in abundance from early summer to late fall. They're about 1 in (2.5 cm) long, growing singly from the axils of the leaves.

Buy Cigar Plant Seeds

This evergreen sub-shrub is fast-growing, reaching its mature height in a year. Narrow leaves are 2 in (5 cm) long and densely cover the woody stems. Prune it quite a bit to keep it small and bushy.

Repot in spring when this shrubby plant gets crowded. Use a pot with drainage holes to prevent overwatering -- it will rot at the base if the soil gets too soggy.

Origin: Mexico

Height: 2 ft (60 cm)

Light: Bright light to full sun

Water: Spring through fall, water thoroughly. Allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings, but don't allow it to dry out completely. Keep the soil slightly drier in winter.

Humidity: Average room humidity.

Temperature: Average room temperatures 60-75°F, 16-24°C. If you move your plant outdoors for the summer, don't worry -- it can take the heat. If won't, however, tolerate cold temperatures.

Soil: Any good potting mix.

Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks spring through fall with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half.

Propagation: Take 3 in (7.5 cm) stem tip cuttings in summer and root them in moist perlite. Once rooted, transplant them in separate pots with fresh potting mix. Sow seeds in early spring.