Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Flowering Plants
Vegetable
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Types
-
Green Tomatillo, Purple Tomatillo
Number of Varieties
4040
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
Cultivated Beds
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-96-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12*1
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval/Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
Yellow, Sandy Brown
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Green, Purple, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Lance shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Indeterminate
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
In Summer
Lots of watering
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, 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 all suckers, Remove wet foliage
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Fungal Diseases
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
Birds, Flea beetles
Allergy
Asthma
Arthritis, Inflammation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
Cancer, Diabetes, Energy, Opthalmic
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Fruits
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Used for making green salsas and chilli sauce, Used in salads
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
PHYSALIS philadelphica
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Green Tomato, Mexican Groundcherry, Tomatillo
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
Tomatillos
In German
Kracher penstemon
Tomatillos
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Tomatilles
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
Tomatillos
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
Tomatillos
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
Tomatillos
In Polish
petarda penstemon
Tomatillos
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
Tomatillos
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Solanales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Solanaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Physalis
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Physaleae
Subfamily
-
Solanoideae
Number of Species
25075
1
27800
👆🏻