Cuphea hyssopifolia, also known as False Heather, Mexican Heather, Hawaiian Heather or Elfin Herb is a small shrub which is native to Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...

 and Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

. It grows to about 60 cm high and 90 cm wide and has purple, lavender or white coloured flowers and fine foliage.

The species is naturalised in Hawaii, and regarded as a serious weed there.

In cultivation, the species adapts to a range of soils in a sunny or partially shaded situation with good drainage. In North America it is able to be cultivated outdoors in USDA hardiness zones

Hardiness zone

A hardiness zone is a geographically defined area in which a specific category of plant life is capable of growing, as defined by climatic conditions, including its ability to withstand the minimum temperatures of the zone...

8B-11. In colder regions it may be cultivated as an annual. Plants may be propagated by cuttings, layering or division. They seed freely, and new seedlings that appear may be easily transplanted.