Pocket BotanistPlant guide
Cigar plant.
Cuphea ignea
Pronounced KOO-fee-uh IG-nee-uh
Also known as Cigar, Cigar flower, Cigar flower, Firecracker plant, Mexican cigar, Cigar plant, Cigarette Plant, Cigar plant, Cigarette Bush, Mexican Cigar, Mexican cigarplant, cigar-flower
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This charming plant is a favorite for its unique, tubular flowers that look just like tiny lit cigars. It is a fantastic choice for adding a splash of color to your garden beds or containers. You will love how it attracts hummingbirds all season long.
At a glance
- Care level
- Easy
- Plant type
- Perennial subshrub
- Light
- Full sun to partial shade
- Indoor light
- Bright indirect
- Water
- Every 2 to 4 days
- Mature size
- 1 to 2 feet tall
- Growth rate
- Fast
Care
Keep the soil consistently moist but never soggy to ensure the best blooms. Watch for wilting leaves as a sign that your plant is thirsty. Deadhead spent flowers to encourage a fresh flush of color throughout the summer.
- Watering
- Water when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.
- Feeding
- Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer during the active growing season.
- Pruning
- Trim back leggy stems to maintain a bushy and full appearance.
- Repotting
- Repot in the spring if the roots have filled the current container.
- Soil
- Well draining potting mix
- Soil pH
- 6.0 to 7.0
Safety
- Pets
- This plant is generally considered non toxic to cats and dogs.
How to identify it
- Bright orange tubular flowers
- Dark green lance shaped leaves
- Small dark petal tips
- Bushy and compact growth habit
Problems to watch for
Check your cigar plant from a photo
Pocket Botanist looks at a photo of your plant and tells you what's wrong and what to try first.
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Science
- Family
- Lythraceae
- Genus
- Cuphea
- Order
- Myrtales
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.
Keep your cigar plant growing
This page is a general guide. Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked.
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This guide was generated with AI on and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.