Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Shrub
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
Southwestern United States, Mexico
Types
-
Common sotol, Bear Grass, Common Sotol, Desert Spoon
Number of Varieties
40-
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
Desert, Lower slopes
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-912-15
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
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Rosette/Stemless
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm270.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green, Blue Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Rosette
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
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
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
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full 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
-
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds
Allergy
Asthma
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
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
Leaves
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Paper pulp, Pulp can be used to make rope place mats and other goods
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Container, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Rock Garden, Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
DASYLIRION texanum
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Common sotol, Bear Grass, Common Sotol, Desert Spoon
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
sotol
In German
Kracher penstemon
Dasylirion texanum
In French
Firecracker penstemon
sotol
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
sotol
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
sotol
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
sotol
In Polish
petarda penstemon
sotol
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
sotol
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Liliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Liliales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Liliaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Dasylirion
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Nolinoideae
Number of Species
250300
1
27800
👆🏻