Bat Face Cuphea

Cuphea llavea (Cuphea llavea) is a vivacious, heat-loving tropical subshrub bursting with genuine personality — aptly nicknamed Bat Face Cuphea for its fanciful, two-petaled flowers that unmistakably resemble a tiny bat face caught in mid-expression. Each small, tubular scarlet-red flower is crowned with two distinctive dark purple petals at the tip, creating an irresistibly charming, whimsical bloom that captures the attention and delight of garden visitors of every age. Produced in extraordinary abundance on compact, freely branching stems clothed in bright, fresh green lance-shaped foliage, these distinctive blooms appear almost continuously from spring through frost — delivering one of the longest and most exuberant floral displays available in the warm-season garden with virtually no maintenance required to sustain it.

This professional-grade 4" plant arrives with a healthy, well-established root system cultivated through professional horticultural practices — ready to thrive from the moment it goes in. Bat Face Cuphea excels in sunny borders, mixed annual and perennial combinations, patio containers, and hanging baskets where its distinctive flowers and compact, mounding habit create non-stop color and character. It is among the most reliable hummingbird magnets and butterfly attractors available for warm-season gardens — making it as ecologically valuable as it is visually entertaining throughout the entire growing season.

• Uniquely Whimsical Bat Face Blooms: The distinctive two-toned scarlet-red and dark purple flowers — each bearing a remarkable resemblance to a tiny bat face — are utterly charming and unlike anything else in the garden, consistently drawing delighted reactions from every visitor who encounters them up close.
• Outstanding Hummingbird & Butterfly Magnet: The tubular, nectar-rich flowers are powerfully attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees throughout the exceptionally long bloom season — making Bat Face Cuphea one of the most reliable and rewarding wildlife-attracting plants available for any warm-season garden design.
• Non-Stop Bloom from Spring Through Frost: Flowers continuously and abundantly with virtually no deadheading required throughout the entire warm growing season — one of the longest and most prolific bloomers available, delivering uninterrupted color and wildlife value from planting through the first fall frost.
• Heat & Humidity Tolerant: Thrives in the heat and humidity of summer conditions where many other ornamentals slow or fade — a vigorous, high-energy performer for hot, sunny garden spots that delivers its best display precisely through the most demanding months of the growing season.
• Compact, Well-Branched Mounding Habit: The naturally tidy, freely branching mounding form integrates beautifully into containers, mixed borders, and patio arrangements — delivering full, lush, continuous coverage and color in a well-behaved, easy-care package that looks polished from planting through frost.

These 4" healthy live plants thrive in full sun (6–8 hours daily) with well-drained soil and regular moisture during the growing season. Water consistently during establishment and through summer heat; reduce in cooler weather. Treat as a tender perennial or warm-season annual depending on your climate; frost-sensitive and performs best where nighttime temperatures remain above 40°F. Perennial in USDA Zones 9–11; grown as a summer annual in cooler climates. Mature height: 18–24 inches; spread: 18–24 inches. Bloom time: spring through first frost.