Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
North America, Southwestern United States, Mexico
Types
-
Colville's Barrel Cactus, Long-spined Barrel Cactus, Barrel Cactus
Number of Varieties
4029
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
limestone outcrops, Rocky areas, Semi desert
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-912-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12-10
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm40.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm13.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
Yellow, Magenta
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
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
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
Needs good drainage, Needs very little water, Water carefully
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, 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, Apply 10-10-10 amount
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
-
Allergy
Asthma
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
-
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Flowers
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Container, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
ECHINOCACTUS horizonthalonius
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Devilshead, Turk's head cactus, Blue barrel cactus, Eagle's claw, Horse maimer, Horse crippler, Visnaga meloncillo
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
Blue barrel cactus
In German
Kracher penstemon
Blau Faßkaktus
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Bleu barrel cactus
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
biznaga Azul
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
Μπλε βαρέλι κάκτος
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
cacto de tambor azul
In Polish
petarda penstemon
Niebieski baryłkę kaktus
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
Blue Cactus
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Caryophyllales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Echinocactus
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Cacteae
Subfamily
-
Cactaceae
Number of Species
25029
1
27800
👆🏻