Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Shrub
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
Eastern Asia, Malaysia
Types
-
Plectranthus scutellarioides
Number of Varieties
40150
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
gardens, Subtropical climates, tropical environments
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-911-12
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
-
Habit
Clump-Forming
Bushy, Evergreen
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm30.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Red, Green, Purple
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Red, Green, Purple
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Red, Green, Purple
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Red, Green, Purple
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Damp
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Wet Site
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
Requires a lot of watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Ample Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Damp
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
cut main flower spike, Cut or pinch the stems
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
Full-strength liquid fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Downy mildew, Red blotch, Stem rot
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Wet Site
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
-
Allergy
Asthma
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes, Used for making hedges
Beauty Benefits
-
Weightloss
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Provides ground cover, Soil protection, soil stabilisation
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
Asthma, Glaucoma, High blood pressure, Liver Protection, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Leaves
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties, useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Container, Groundcover, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
Plectranthus scutellarioides
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Coleus, Painted nettle
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
Coleus
In German
Kracher penstemon
Buntnessel
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Vieux garçon
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
coleo
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
Coleus
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
cóleus
In Polish
petarda penstemon
Coleus
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
Coleus
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Lamiales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Lamiaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Coleus
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
250150
1
27800
👆🏻