Cuphea dipetala

Native to the Colombian Andes, it is a perennial subshrub or shrub found in high Andean forest. It develops slender, upright branches and simple, opposite leaves that can feel sticky. The stems and floral tubes bear fine hairs. Flowers arise in the leaf axils and have two prominent, upright purple petals above a pink tubular calyx. The fruits are thin-walled capsules containing small, smooth, flattened seeds. In Colombia, the species is grown as an ornamental and has been used in projects to restore degraded soils. Photographed in Colombia.