Family: Lythraceae
Common name: False heather, Mexican heather, Elfin herb
If you are looking for a plant that loves blooming throughout the year, False heather is what you want. A small bushy, rounded plant, this plant can fill your flowerpots or ledges very quickly with bright violet flowers. A lighter violet and white-colored flower variant is also available.
False heather has dense branches with small leaves and the flowers interspersed among the leaves. They grow to a height of 1-2 feet and can be pruned into desired shapes quite comfortably.
The plants are quite drought-resistant, but needs a good amount of sunlight. So they are not good indoor plants. False heather plants have some medicinal uses in traditional medicine, and are used in treatment of fever and cough. Oil is produced from the seeds, but in smaller quantities. The seeds are used in cosmetic industry in production of soaps and skincare products.
Propagation is from seeds that usually fall to the ground and produce small seedlings.
It’s really a very helpful herb; I wish I could know the guidance of it’s preparations for a good concoction ..!will
I have purposely not added any recipes for medicines or concoctions since I would not want anybody to use herbal medicine without expert advice. Our elders knew how to make medicines from herbs the right way, but much of the knowledge is lost these days. And half knowledge is dangerous.