Life Span
Perennial
Biennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Palm or Cycad
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
South Africa
Types
-
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
Number of Varieties
4066
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-99-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12-8
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm290.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm240.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Pinnate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
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
Early Summer, 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 very little water
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, Partial shade
Pruning
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Remove crossing or rubbing 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
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
Birds
Allergy
Asthma
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
-
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
Bread Tree
In German
Kracher penstemon
Brotbaum
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Bread Arbre
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
Árbol del pan
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
ψωμί Δέντρο
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
Árvore de pão
In Polish
petarda penstemon
chleb Drzewo
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
panis ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Tracheophyta
Class
-
Equisetopsida
Order
Lamiales
Cycadales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Cycadaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Encephalartos
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
-
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
25066
1
27800
👆🏻