Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Biennials
Type
Flowering Plants
Vegetable
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
-
Lagenaria siceraria
Number of Varieties
402
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-95-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12-1
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
A1, A2, 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
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove branches that rub together, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
High potassium diluted feed of 5-10-5, Nitrogen, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Army-worms, Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Leaf rust, Red spider mite, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
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
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Asthma
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Beauty Benefits
-
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Fruits
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
Lagenaria siceraria
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
लौकी
In German
Kracher penstemon
Flaschenkürbis
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Lagenaria siceraria
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
Lagenaria siceraria
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
Τσότρα
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
Cabaça
In Polish
petarda penstemon
Tykwa pospolita
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
utrem cucurbita
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Cucurbitales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Coccinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
25027
1
27800
👆🏻