Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Tender Perennial
Origin
South-Central United States
North America, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Types
Penstemon digitalis, Penstemon barbatus, Penstemon heterophyllus
Cryptanthus 'Absolute Zero'
Cryptanthus 'Agate'
Cryptanthus 'Alberta'
Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost'
Number of Varieties
200480
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Rocky areas
Lowland evergreen rainforest, Rainforest, Shaded sites, Wild
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-8-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
-
Sunset Zone
No Available
-
Habit
Clump-Forming
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm20.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.50 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Purple
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long linear and narrow
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
-
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
-
Growth Rate
Medium
-
Type of Soil
Loam
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
Late Spring
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
From bulbs
Cuttings, Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season
Average Water Needs, Do not water excessively, Keep the Soil well drained
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
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
-
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Pinching, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Does not require fertilizer once established
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Variety of soil types
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
Medium
-
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Ladybug beetles, Mealybugs, Scale Insects
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Borders, Decorating walls, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
-
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used as Ornamental plant, useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
-
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON cobaea
CRYPTANTHUS
Common Name
Beardtongue
Cryptanthus, Earth Star
In Hindi
Beardtongue
Earth Star
In German
Bartfaden
Erdstern
In French
beardtongue
Terre étoile
In Spanish
beardtongue
estrella de la tierra
In Greek
Beardtongue
γη αστεριών
In Portuguese
Beardtongue
Estrela da terra
In Polish
Beardtongue
Gwiazda ziemi
In Latin
ursus lingua
terra, stella
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Bromeliales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Bromeliaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Cryptanthus
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Bromelioideae
Number of Species
26150
1
27800
👆🏻