Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Grass
Flowering Plants
Origin
North America, Northeastern United States, North-Central United States, Central United States, South-Central United States, Canada
Southwestern United States, California
Types
Sporobolus heterolepis
-
Number of Varieties
1540
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hay fields
Dry areas, meadows
USDA Hardiness Zone
3-84-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
10 - 2
9-1
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
45.70 cm61.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
50.80 cm25.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Purple, Light Green
Crimson
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Yellow, Orange, Gold
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Tan, Bronze
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Oblong
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Summer
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Pollution, Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
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
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
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
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
Fine
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
Asthma
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds
Whole plant
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edging, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Wildflower
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
SPOROBOLUS heterolepis
PENSTEMON eatonii
Common Name
Prairie Dropseed
Firecracker Penstemon
In Hindi
prairie dropseed
Firecracker penstemon
In German
Prärie Dropseed
Kracher penstemon
In French
prairie dropseed
Firecracker penstemon
In Spanish
dropseed pradera
Penstemon del petardo
In Greek
λιβάδι dropseed
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
In Portuguese
pradaria dropseed
Penstemon do foguete
In Polish
łąka dropseed
petarda penstemon
In Latin
PRATUM grama
Firecracker Persicaria
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Liliopsida
-
Order
Poales
Lamiales
Family
Poaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Genus
Sporobolus
Penstemon
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
10250
1
27800
👆🏻