Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Cactus
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
-
Types
-
Christmas Cactus, Thanksgiving Cactus
Number of Varieties
406
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
subtropical regions, Tropical Forests
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-913-15
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
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm15.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm20.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
Purple
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Cylindrical
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
-
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
-
Growth Rate
Fast
-
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
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, Do Not over Water, 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
-
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
-
Sun Exposure
Full 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
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
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
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
Birds
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
Soothing and relieving pain
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
-
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
Schlumbergera truncata
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Schlumbergera, false Christmas cactus, Christmas cactus
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
Schlumbergera
In German
Kracher penstemon
Schlumbergera
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Schlumbergera
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
Schlumbergera
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
Schlumbergera
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
Schlumbergera
In Polish
petarda penstemon
Schlumbergera
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
Gymnocalycium
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Caryophyllales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Schlumbergera
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Rhipsalideae
Subfamily
-
Cactoideae
Number of Species
2506
1
27800
👆🏻