Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Fruit
Flowering Plants
Origin
Africa
Southwestern United States, California
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
140
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds, Fields, Waste areas
Dry areas, meadows
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99994-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-4
9-1
Sunset Zone
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
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
20.30 cm61.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
150.00 cm25.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow
Crimson
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Green, Yellow green, Light Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Oblong
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
reseeds, Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, Over-watering can cause leaf problems or root diseases, Requires regular watering
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
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
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, Bacterial fruit blotch, Cabbage looper, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Red blotch
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
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
Asthma
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Nutrients, Vitamin C
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Whole plant
Other Uses
Used As Food
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
CUCUMIS melo 'Lambkin'
PENSTEMON eatonii
Common Name
Christmas Melon, Piel de Sapo
Firecracker Penstemon
In Hindi
Piel de sapo
Firecracker penstemon
In German
Piel de sapo
Kracher penstemon
In French
Piel de sapo
Firecracker penstemon
In Spanish
Piel de sapo
Penstemon del petardo
In Greek
Piel de sapo
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
In Portuguese
Piel de sapo
Penstemon do foguete
In Polish
Piel de sapo
petarda penstemon
In Latin
Piel de sapo
Firecracker Persicaria
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Violales
Lamiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Penstemon
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Benincaseae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
10250
1
27800
👆🏻