• Worldwide distribution. In Australia, American Samoa. Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji. French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu.
• Invasive weed, abundant seed, forms rapidly-growing dense stands in crops, pastures, wetlands, along river banks and roads.
• Erect, up to 60cm, red or green stems with dense sticky hairs. Leaves oval, in pairs, short stalks, Flowers single or in clusters at leaf forks or end of branches, with green or reddish tube and purple petals, and capsule inside containing black seeds.
• Spread: seed moved by water, livestock, machinery. Planted as ornamental.
• Biosecurity: introduction as ornamental. Note, seed is sticky.
• Biocontrol: none.
• Cultural control: hand-weed, but do not slash or mow (it helps spread the seed). Clean machinery/vehicles.
• Chemical control: in Australia, fluroxypyr; glyphosate; triclopyr + picloram; triclopyr + picloram + aminopyralid; 2,4-D + picloram; 2,4-D + picloram + aminopyralid.

Colombian waxweed. It is also known as tarweed, and Colombian cuphea.

Cuphea carthagenensis. It is a member of the Lythraceae.