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About Moonlight cactus and Firecracker Penstemon


About Firecracker Penstemon and Moonlight cactus


What is

Life Span
Annual and Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Cactus or Succulent  
Flowering Plants  

Origin
Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, South America  
Southwestern United States, California  

Types
Not avilable  
-  

Number of Varieties
10  
40  
99+

Habitat
Desert  
Dry areas, meadows  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
4-9  

AHS Heat Zone
-  
9-1  

Sunset Zone
7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 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
Weeping  
Clump-Forming  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
30.00 cm  
99+
61.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
4.20 cm  
25.40 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Dark Salmon, Sandy Brown, White, Yellow  
Crimson  

Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Green  
-  

Leaf Color in Spring
-  
Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
-  
Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
-  
Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
-  
-  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Succulent  
Oblong  

Thorns
Yes  
No  

Season

Plant Season
-  
Summer  

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial shade  
Full Sun, Partial Sun  

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Sand  
Loam, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Alkaline, Neutral  
Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Early Spring, Early Summer, Late Spring, Late Winter, Mid Spring  
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer  

Repeat Bloomer
-  
No  

Tolerances
Drought  
-  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Grafting, Seedlings  
Seedlings, Stem Planting  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs  
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry  

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  

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

Pests and Diseases
-  
Insects  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Yes  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
No  

Edible Fruit
Yes  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
Yes  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
Yes  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
-  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
No  
No  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Bold  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
-  
Matte  

Evergreen
No  
No  

Invasive
No  
No  

Self-Sowing
No  
No  

Attracts
-  
Hummingbirds  

Allergy
Itchiness  
Asthma  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Hanging Basket, Showy Purposes  
Showy Purposes  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
No  

Environmental Uses
-  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
-  
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments  

Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Nut  
Whole plant  

Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for Landscaping  
Used as Ornamental plant  

Used As Indoor Plant
Yes  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Houseplant, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Tropical  
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
Selenicereus pteranthus  
PENSTEMON eatonii  

Common Name
Selenicereus, Moonlight cactus  
Firecracker Penstemon  

In Hindi
moonlight cactus  
Firecracker penstemon  

In German
Selenicereus  
Kracher penstemon  

In French
Selenicereus  
Firecracker penstemon  

In Spanish
Selenicereus  
Penstemon del petardo  

In Greek
Selenicereus  
πυροτέχνημα penstemon  

In Portuguese
Selenicereus  
Penstemon do foguete  

In Polish
Selenicereus  
petarda penstemon  

In Latin
moonlight cactus  
Firecracker Persicaria  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Tracheophyta  
-  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
-  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Lamiales  

Family
Cactaceae  
Scrophulariaceae  

Genus
Selenicereus  
Penstemon  

Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots  

Tribe
Hylocereeae  
-  

Subfamily
Cactoideae  
-  

Number of Species
1  
250  
99+

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Moonlight cactus and Firecracker Penstemon

Wondering what are the properties of Moonlight cactus and Firecracker Penstemon? We provide you with everything About Moonlight cactus and Firecracker Penstemon. Moonlight cactus has thorns and Firecracker Penstemon doesn't have thorns. Also Moonlight cactus does not have fragrant flowers. Moonlight cactus has allergic reactions like Itchiness and Firecracker Penstemon has allergic reactions like Itchiness. 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 Moonlight cactus and Firecracker Penstemon and you can choose the plant having best and most benefits.

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Season and Care of Moonlight cactus and Firecracker Penstemon

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

Moonlight cactus and Firecracker Penstemon Physical Information

Moonlight cactus and Firecracker Penstemon physical information is very important for comparison. Moonlight cactus height is 30.00 cm and width 4.20 cm whereas Firecracker Penstemon height is 61.00 cm and width 25.40 cm. The color specification of Moonlight cactus and Firecracker Penstemon are as follows:

Care of Moonlight cactus and Firecracker Penstemon

Care of Moonlight cactus and Firecracker Penstemon include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Moonlight cactus pruning is done 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 Moonlight cactus needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Average Water. Whereas, in summer Firecracker Penstemon needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Average Water.

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