Cuphea

Cuphea (pronounced /ˈkjuːfiːə/) is a genus containing about 260 species of annual and perennial flowering plants native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas.

The species range from low-growing herbs to semi-woody shrubs up to 2 m tall. Commonly they are known as cupheas', or, in the case of some species, as cigar plants.

Botanist Shirley A. Graham, currently of the Missouri Botanical Garden, has published widely on the genus. Among Graham's Cuphea contributions are two volumes in the series Systematic Botany Monographs.

Several Cuphea species are popular ornamental plants or honey plants. C. ignea 'David Verity' and C. micropetalia are popular plants to attract hummingbirds.

Some species of Cuphea are used to produce cuphea oil, of interest as sources of medium-chain triglycerides. For most purposes, cuphea oil is identical to coconut oil and palm oil, these are derived from strictly tropical plants however and particularly in the latter case the expanding production of which has caused a considerable amount of habitat destruction.

Cuphea may thus produce a valuable source of income for farmers in temperate regions, and by supplementing coconut and palm oil to satisfy the growing demand (e.g. for biodiesel production) at the same time decreasing the need for wholesale logging in tropical countries.

Early attempts at commercial production have focused on an interspecific hybrid population derived from C. lanceolata and Clammy Cuphea (C. viscosissima).

The seed oils of some species are very rich in one particular fatty acid. C. painteri oil , for example, is about three-quarters caprylic acid, C. carthagenensis oil consists of about 80% lauric acid. C. koehneana oil may be the richest natural source of a single fatty acid, with 95% of its content consisting of capric acid.



Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuphea


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