Lythraceae

Blue waxweed

Cuphea viscosissima Jacq.

Family: Lythraceae
Genus: Cuphea

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Blue waxweed (Cuphea viscosissima) — FlowerPhoto: Zach Bell, CC0, from iNaturalist

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Common names

By language (3)

Chinese: 粘毛萼距花, 黏毛萼距花
English: Blue waxweed
Swedish: Indianbloss

Synonyms

Cuphea albida Raf.
Cuphea brownei Jacq.
Cuphea petiolata (L.) Koehne
Lythrum cuphea L.f.
Lythrum petiolatum L.
Melfona purpurea Raf.
Parsonsia petiolata (L.) Rusby

Flowers

In flower: July to October (from 139 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Annual
In the US and Canada: Canada: introduced, Lower 48 states: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Zach Bell, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Zach Bell, CC0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Elias, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Elizabeth Axley, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Jennifer Harris, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: C T Johansson, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Bonnie Semmling, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: C T Johansson, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: C T Johansson, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Cuphea

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.