Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Perennial
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
-
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
4050
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
Cold Regions, Temperate Regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-94-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
8-1
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17
Habit
Clump-Forming
Cushion/Mound-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm20.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm27.90 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
Blue, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Purple
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Purple
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Purple
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
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
Average Water Needs, Keep ground moist, Water more in summer
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
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial 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 damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, as it is a flowering plant, use high phosphorous content fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
Butterflies
Allergy
Asthma
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
Black Dyes
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
-
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
Polemonium caeruleum
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Jacob's Ladder
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
Jacob's Ladder
In German
Kracher penstemon
Jacob's Ladder
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Jacob's Ladder
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
Jacob's Ladder
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
Jacob's Ladder
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
Jacob's Ladder
In Polish
petarda penstemon
Jacob's Ladder
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
Jacob's Ladder
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Tracheophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Ericales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Polemoniaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Polemonium
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
25040
1
27800
👆🏻