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About Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon


About Firecracker Penstemon and Blue Barrel


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Cactus or Succulent  
Flowering Plants  

Origin
North America, Southwestern United States, Mexico  
Southwestern United States, California  

Types
Colville's Barrel Cactus, Long-spined Barrel Cactus, Barrel Cactus  
-  

Number of Varieties
29  
99+
40  
99+

Habitat
limestone outcrops, Rocky areas, Semi desert  
Dry areas, meadows  

USDA Hardiness Zone
12-15  
4-9  

AHS Heat Zone
12-10  
9-1  

Sunset Zone
12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 24  
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21  

Habit
Oval or Rounded  
Clump-Forming  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
40.00 cm  
99+
61.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
13.00 cm  
99+
25.40 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Yellow, Magenta  
Crimson  

Flower Color Modifier
-  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Pink, Red  
-  

Leaf Color in Spring
-  
Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
-  
Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
-  
Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
-  
-  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
-  
Oblong  

Thorns
Yes  
No  

Season

Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  
Summer  

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun  
Full Sun, Partial Sun  

Growth Rate
Slow  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Loam, Sand  
Loam, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer  
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
No  

Tolerances
Drought  
-  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Seedlings  
Seedlings, Stem Planting  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Needs good drainage, Needs very little water, Water carefully  
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry  

In Summer
Lots of watering  
Lots of watering  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Type
Loam, Sand  
Loam, Sand  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun  
Full Sun, Partial Sun  

Pruning
-  
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount  

Pests and Diseases
Red blotch  
Insects  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Yes  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
No  
No  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
No  
No  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Bold  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
-  
Matte  

Evergreen
No  
No  

Invasive
No  
No  

Self-Sowing
No  
No  

Attracts
-  
Hummingbirds  

Allergy
-  
Asthma  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes  
Showy Purposes  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Insignificant  
No  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
-  
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments  

Part of Plant Used
Flowers  
Whole plant  

Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant  
Used as Ornamental plant  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall  
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
ECHINOCACTUS horizonthalonius  
PENSTEMON eatonii  

Common Name
Devilshead, Turk's head cactus, Blue barrel cactus, Eagle's claw, Horse maimer, Horse crippler, Visnaga meloncillo  
Firecracker Penstemon  

In Hindi
Blue barrel cactus  
Firecracker penstemon  

In German
Blau Faßkaktus  
Kracher penstemon  

In French
Bleu barrel cactus  
Firecracker penstemon  

In Spanish
biznaga Azul  
Penstemon del petardo  

In Greek
Μπλε βαρέλι κάκτος  
πυροτέχνημα penstemon  

In Portuguese
cacto de tambor azul  
Penstemon do foguete  

In Polish
Niebieski baryłkę kaktus  
petarda penstemon  

In Latin
Blue Cactus  
Firecracker Persicaria  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
-  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
-  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Lamiales  

Family
Cactaceae  
Scrophulariaceae  

Genus
Echinocactus  
Penstemon  

Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots  

Tribe
Cacteae  
-  

Subfamily
Cactaceae  
-  

Number of Species
29  
99+
250  
99+

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon

Wondering what are the properties of Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon? We provide you with everything About Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon. Blue Barrel has thorns and Firecracker Penstemon doesn't have thorns. Also Blue Barrel does not have fragrant flowers. Blue Barrel has allergic reactions like and Firecracker Penstemon has allergic reactions like . Compare all the properties and characteristics of these two plants. Find out which of these plant can be used as indoor plant. If you are interested to decorate your house and garden, find out aesthetic uses, compare them and select the plant which will beautify your surrounding. Along with beautification, try comparing medicinal and edible uses of Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon and you can choose the plant having best and most benefits.

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Season and Care of Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon

Season and care of Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon is important to know. While considering everything about Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon Care, growing season is an essential factor. Blue Barrel season is Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter and Firecracker Penstemon season is Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. The type of soil for Blue Barrel is Loam, Sand and for Firecracker Penstemon is Loam, Sand while the PH of soil for Blue Barrel is Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline and for Firecracker Penstemon is Neutral, Alkaline.

Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon Physical Information

Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon physical information is very important for comparison. Blue Barrel height is 40.00 cm and width 13.00 cm whereas Firecracker Penstemon height is 61.00 cm and width 25.40 cm. The color specification of Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon are as follows:

Care of Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon

Care of Blue Barrel and Firecracker Penstemon include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Blue Barrel pruning is done and Firecracker Penstemon pruning is done No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves and Remove deadheads. In summer Blue Barrel needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Average Water. Whereas, in summer Firecracker Penstemon needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Average Water.

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