Home
Garden Plants


About Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon


About Firecracker Penstemon and Kochia


What is

Life Span
Annual  
Perennial  

Type
Ornamental Plants, Shrubs  
Flowering Plants  

Origin
Eastern Europe, Western Asia  
Southwestern United States, California  

Types
Kochia Indica, Neokochia californica  
-  

Number of Varieties
140  
99+
40  
99+

Habitat
gardens, Temperate Regions  
Dry areas, meadows  

USDA Hardiness Zone
3-11  
4-9  

AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1  
9-1  

Sunset Zone
A1, A2, 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  
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21  

Habit
Upright/Erect  
Clump-Forming  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
120.00 cm  
99+
61.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
90.00 cm  
99+
25.40 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
-  
Crimson  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
-  
-  

Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green  
Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
-  
Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Gray Green, Burgundy, Crimson  
Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green  
-  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Linear  
Oblong  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

Plant Season
Fall  
Summer  

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun  
Full Sun, Partial Sun  

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand  
Loam, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Drainage
Average  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Summer  
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
No  

Tolerances
Drought  
-  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Stem Cutting, Transplanting  
Seedlings, Stem Planting  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
occasional watering once established, Requires consistently moist soil  
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry  

In Summer
Moderate  
Lots of watering  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Less Watering  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Neutral  
Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Type
Well drained  
Loam, Sand  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Loamy, Well drained  
Well drained  

Sun Exposure
Bright direct sunlight  
Full Sun, Partial Sun  

Pruning
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Remove dead branches  
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Mosquito  
Insects  

Plant Tolerance
Heat Tolerance, Humidity  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
No  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
-  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
No  
No  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
No  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Fine  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Matte  
Matte  

Evergreen
No  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
Butterflies, Leaf Hoppers  
Hummingbirds  

Allergy
Eye irritation, Respiratory problems  
Asthma  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Landscape Designing  
Showy Purposes  

Beauty Benefits
For treating wrinkles, Making cosmetics, Removes dandruff, Skin cleanser  
-  

Edible Uses
Sometimes  
No  

Environmental Uses
Provides ground cover  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Diabetes, Hypotensive, Obesity  
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Whole plant  

Other Uses
Cattle Fodder, Sauces, Traditional medicine, Used for fragrance, Wood log is used in making fences  
Used as Ornamental plant  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Groundcover  
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASSIA scoparia  
PENSTEMON eatonii  

Common Name
Burningbush, Kochia  
Firecracker Penstemon  

In Hindi
Bassia scoparia  
Firecracker penstemon  

In German
Besen-Radmelde  
Kracher penstemon  

In French
Bassia scoparia  
Firecracker penstemon  

In Spanish
Kochia scoparia  
Penstemon del petardo  

In Greek
Bassia scoparia  
πυροτέχνημα penstemon  

In Portuguese
Bassia scoparia  
Penstemon do foguete  

In Polish
Mietelnik żakula  
petarda penstemon  

In Latin
Bassia scoparia  
Firecracker Persicaria  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Angiosperms  
-  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
-  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Lamiales  

Family
Chenopodiaceae  
Scrophulariaceae  

Genus
Bassia  
Penstemon  

Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots  
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
Camphorosmoideae  
-  

Number of Species
4  
250  
99+

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon

Wondering what are the properties of Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon? We provide you with everything About Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon. Kochia doesn't have thorns and Firecracker Penstemon doesn't have thorns. Also Kochia does not have fragrant flowers. Kochia has allergic reactions like Eye irritation and Respiratory problems and Firecracker Penstemon has allergic reactions like Eye irritation and Respiratory problems. Compare all the properties and characteristics of these two plants. Find out which of these plant can be used as indoor plant. If you are interested to decorate your house and garden, find out aesthetic uses, compare them and select the plant which will beautify your surrounding. Along with beautification, try comparing medicinal and edible uses of Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon and you can choose the plant having best and most benefits.

Compare Annual Plants

Season and Care of Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon

Season and care of Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon is important to know. While considering everything about Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon Care, growing season is an essential factor. Kochia season is Fall and Firecracker Penstemon season is Fall. The type of soil for Kochia is Clay, Loam, Sand and for Firecracker Penstemon is Loam, Sand while the PH of soil for Kochia is Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline and for Firecracker Penstemon is Neutral, Alkaline.

Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon Physical Information

Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon physical information is very important for comparison. Kochia height is 120.00 cm and width 90.00 cm whereas Firecracker Penstemon height is 61.00 cm and width 25.40 cm. The color specification of Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon are as follows:

Care of Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon

Care of Kochia and Firecracker Penstemon include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Kochia pruning is done Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness and Remove dead branches and Firecracker Penstemon pruning is done No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves and Remove deadheads. In summer Kochia needs Moderate and in winter, it needs Less Watering. Whereas, in summer Firecracker Penstemon needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Average Water.

Annual Plants

Annual Plants

» More Annual Plants

Compare Annual Plants

» More Compare Annual Plants