If you would like to support this site, please consider Donating.
Useful Temperate Plants

Cuphea leptopoda

Hemsl.

Lythraceae

+ Synonyms

Cuphea humayana Brandegee

Cuphea indocta Standl.

Cuphea palmeri S.Watson

Cuphea podopetala Koehne

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Cuphea leptopoda is an erect, little-branched, annual plant growing 30 - 100cm tall. The plant is sticky to the touch due to the presence of glandular hairs covering the stem[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].
This is one of several species in this genus that have been identified as potential commercial seedcrops, grown for their oil. Although a tropical plant, it is said to be suitable for cultivation in some temperate regions.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

Central America to southern N. America - Nicaragua to Mexico

Habitat

Disturbed ground, abandoned fields, shores; at elevations up to 1,500 metres.

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitAnnual
Height0.40 m
PollinatorsInsects
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Cuphea leptopoda is a plant of the tropical regions of central N. America, but is said to be suitable for cultivation as an annual in parts of the temperate zone. Continental areas with hot summers, and Mediterranean regions have been specifically mentioned, the most important factors are the length of the growing season and the amount of summer heat required to ripen the crop.
Prefers a position in full sun, but tolerant of light shade. Succeeds in any reasonable, fertile soil[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Cuphea has only been investigated as a potential commercial crop for a few years, and still has the characteristics of a
wild plant. Those characteristics that differ from cultivated plants are its propensity to seed shatter, its indeterminate flowering nature, and its overall stickiness. If these wild traits can be overcome, Cuphea's chemistry, coupled with the annual and therefore renewable nature of the plant, certainly can make it a new crop.
Germination in central European climate is slow (14 - 20 days) even in late May after the last frosts, but this is made up for by quick growth and early seed ripening.
Germination is slowed by the thick seed hull. The first seed is produced six weeks after sowing in the greenhouse.
This species is allogamous (it requires cross-fertilization) and a suitable pollinator for commercial plantings has not been found. It is, therefore, unlikely to be developed as a commercial crop[
1206
Title
Advances in New Crops. Proceedings of the First National Symposium NEW CROPS: Research, Development, Economics
Publication
 
Author
Jules Janick and J.E.Simon (eds.)
Publisher
Timber Press, Portland, Oregon
Year
1990
ISBN
0-88192-166-1
Description
This book is the proceedings of the First National Symposium on New Crops held October 23-26, 1988 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The contents include papers from invited speakers, papers derived from posters, and abstracts from poster presentations
].

Edible Uses

An oil obtained from the seeds has the potential to be used in foods[
289
Title
The National Non-Food Crops Centre Crop Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/crops/pd.cfm
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line information source, with information on over 100 species (as of 2006) of plants being investigated as bio-crops.
]. Solid at room temperature, the oil has a fresh scent and, like coconut oil or palm kernel oil, showed low iodine value of 6.6 and high saponification value of 298. Oxidation stability of the oil was high, and its melting point was 25.8 - 27.2°c. These properties, together with its superior spreadability, make the seed oil potentially applicable as a noncoherent oil in a variety of foods[
1208
Title
Edible properties of cuphea seed oil
Publication
Nippon Shokuhin Kagaku Kogaku Kaishi 48(3):210-213 · January 2001
Author
Takayo Saikusa; Kazumi Kitta; Yasunobu Ohkawa; Yutaka Mori
Website
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289299060_Edible_properties_of_Cuphea_seed_oil
Publisher
 
Year
2001
ISBN
 
Description
 
].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

In the US it has been suggested to plant Cuphea in rotation with corn and soybeans every three years. If grown this way Cuphea can help disrupt the life cycle of corn rootworms - pests that account for more pesticide use on US row crops than any other insect. (Corn rootworms can cost up to $1billion per annum in control and yield losses)

Other Uses

The seeds, although small, are a potential commercial crop for their oil. The oil is a good source of medium length fatty acids - these oils are usually obtained from tropical sources such as palm and coconut oils. This species is particularly rich in capric acid (up to 92%)[
1208
Title
Edible properties of cuphea seed oil
Publication
Nippon Shokuhin Kagaku Kogaku Kaishi 48(3):210-213 · January 2001
Author
Takayo Saikusa; Kazumi Kitta; Yasunobu Ohkawa; Yutaka Mori
Website
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/289299060_Edible_properties_of_Cuphea_seed_oil
Publisher
 
Year
2001
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
Industrial oils made from these acids are valuable commodities as they have the potential to replace others made from imported palm kernel and coconut oil. Lauric acid is used in foods, mostly as vegetable shortenings, as a defoaming agent and a booster for soaps and detergents.
Medium chain length fatty acids (e.g. Lauric and myristic) are used in detergents and health and beauty products. Statistics show that 71,000 tonnes of lauric acid oils were processed during 1991 in the EC; they originated from Copra (i.e. Coconut) and Palm kernel
Cuphea has been used as an alternative to coconut oil in soaps, detergents and other products

Propagation

Seed - can be sown in situ after the last expected frosts[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. In order to obtain larger plants, extend the growing season and hopefully achieve larger yields of seeds, the seeds can be sown in a greenhouse in early spring at around 21°c. Germination usually takes a few weeks because of the hard seed coat. Prick the seedlings out into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out after the last expected frosts[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-03-29. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Cuphea+leptopoda>

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.