2024-09-22

Blue wax weed, Cuphea viscosissima

I must have passed by this plant near the gravel road twenty times before I really looked at it. The purple flowers are so tiny. For whatever reason I did notice it and stopped to take a closer look. The petals are a bit sparse but still make for an interesting little flower.

It's not remotely blue. The other name for it, tarweed seems a bit weird. No explanation on Wikipedia for why it might be called that.

A tiny pale purple flower with two petals arranged on top, four on the bottom. It's center is a much darker purple and the back of the flower that connects to the plant is covered in small sticky hairs.

A tiny pale purple flower with two petals arranged on top, four on the bottom. It's center is a much darker purple.

From Wikipedia:

Cuphea viscosissima, also known as blue waxweed, clammy cuphea or (ambiguously) as "tarweed", is an herbaceous plant in the loosestrife family. It native to the eastern United States, where it is most often found in open, rocky calcareous areas. It is the most common and widespread Cuphea in the U.S.

This species is notable for its sticky stems. It produces a purple-red flower in late summer. Flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.