Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Shrub
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
Central America, South America
Types
-
Fruit Tree
Number of Varieties
402
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-99-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
-
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm457.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm243.84 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Dry, Sandy
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
In Early Autumn, Prune in winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Wind
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Allergy
Asthma
Pollen
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
Malpighia emarginata
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
Acerola Tree
In German
Kracher penstemon
Acerola Baum
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Acerola Arbre
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
Árbol de acerola
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
Acerola Δέντρο
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
Árvore acerola
In Polish
petarda penstemon
Acerola Drzewo
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
Acerola ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
-
Class
-
-
Order
Lamiales
Malpighiales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Malpighiaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Malpighia
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Paperveroideae
Number of Species
250-
1
27800
👆🏻