Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Palm or Cycad
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
South Africa
Types
-
Encephalartos lebomboensis
Number of Varieties
4010
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
Upland savannas
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-99-13
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, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm300.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm300.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Yellow, Orange, Orange Red
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
Long linear and narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Light Frost
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry
Needs less watering
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
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun
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
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Cycad weevils, Root Pathogen
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Light Frost
Flowers
Showy
-
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
pollinators
Allergy
Asthma
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Cottage Garden, 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
Bark, Pine
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Traditional medicine
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
Encephalartos lebomboensis
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Lebombo Cycad
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
Lebombo Cycad
In German
Kracher penstemon
Lebombo Palmfarn
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Lebombo Cycad
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
Lebombo cícadas
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
Lebombo Cycad
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
Lebombo Cycad
In Polish
petarda penstemon
Lebombo Cycad
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
Lebombo Cycad
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Cycadophyta
Class
-
Cycadopsida
Order
Lamiales
Cycadales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Cycadaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Encephalartos
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
-
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
25066
1
27800
👆🏻