Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Flowering Plants
Vegetable
Origin
South-Central United States
Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Types
Penstemon digitalis, Penstemon barbatus, Penstemon heterophyllus
Green Tomatillo, Purple Tomatillo
Number of Varieties
20040
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Rocky areas
Cultivated Beds
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-86-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12*1
Sunset Zone
No Available
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
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval/Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.50 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Purple
Yellow, Sandy Brown
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Green, Purple, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long linear and narrow
Lance shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
-
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
From bulbs
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves
Remove all suckers, Remove wet foliage
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Fungal Diseases
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
-
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Birds, Flea beetles
Allergy
-
Arthritis, Inflammation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Cancer, Diabetes, Energy, Opthalmic
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
Fruits
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used for making green salsas and chilli sauce, Used in salads
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON cobaea
PHYSALIS philadelphica
Common Name
Beardtongue
Green Tomato, Mexican Groundcherry, Tomatillo
In Hindi
Beardtongue
Tomatillos
In German
Bartfaden
Tomatillos
In French
beardtongue
Tomatilles
In Spanish
beardtongue
Tomatillos
In Greek
Beardtongue
Tomatillos
In Portuguese
Beardtongue
Tomatillos
In Polish
Beardtongue
Tomatillos
In Latin
ursus lingua
Tomatillos
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Solanales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Solanaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Physalis
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Physaleae
Subfamily
-
Solanoideae
Number of Species
26175
1
27800
👆🏻