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Compare Firecracker Penstemon and Christmas Cactus


Christmas Cactus and Firecracker Penstemon


What is

Life Span
Perennial   
Perennial   

Type
Flowering Plants   
Cactus or Succulent   

Origin
Southwestern United States, California   
North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central America, South America   

Types
Not Available   
Not Available   

Habitat
Dry areas, meadows   
Coastal Mountains, Humid climates   

USDA Hardiness Zone
4-9   
Not Available   

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   
Not Available   

Habit
Clump-Forming   
Clump-Forming   

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
61.00 cm   
99+
45.70 cm   
99+

Minimum Width
25.40 cm   
99+
71.10 cm   
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Crimson   
Purple   

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor   
Not Available   

Fruit Color
Not Available   
Pink   

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
Not Available   
Green, Dark Green   

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Oblong   
Toothed   

Thorns
No   
No   

Season

Plant Season
Summer   
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter   

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun   
Partial Sun, Partial shade   

Growth Rate
Fast   
Fast   

Type of Soil
Loam, Sand   
Loam, Sand   

The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline   
Acidic, Neutral   

Soil Drainage
Well drained   
Well drained   

Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer   
Not Available   

Repeat Bloomer
No   
No   

Tolerances
Not Available   
Not Available   

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground   
Container, Ground, Pot   

How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting   
Stem Planting, Transplanting   

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   
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Never Over-water   

In Summer
Lots of watering   
Lots of watering   

In Spring
Moderate   
Moderate   

In Winter
Average Water   
Average Water   

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline   
Acidic, Neutral   

Soil Type
Loam, Sand   
Loam, Sand   

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained   
Well drained   

Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun   
Partial Sun, Partial shade   

Pruning
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads   
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Requires little pruning   

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount   
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer   

Pests and Diseases
Insects   
Red blotch   

Plant Tolerance
Drought   
Drought   

Facts

Flowers
Showy   
Showy   

Flower Petal Number
Single   
Not Available   

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
No   
No   

Edible Fruit
No   
No   

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No   
Yes   

Fragrant Fruit
No   
Yes   

Fragrant Leaf
No   
No   

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No   
No   

Showy Foliage
No   
No   

Showy Bark
No   
No   

Foliage Texture
Medium   
Bold   

Foliage Sheen
Matte   
Glossy   

Evergreen
No   
No   

Invasive
No   
No   

Self-Sowing
No   
No   

Attracts
Hummingbirds   
Not Available   

Allergy
Asthma   
Eye irritation, sneezing   

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes   
Beautification, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes   

Beauty Benefits
Not Available   
Not Available   

Edible Uses
No   
No   

Environmental Uses
Air purification   
Air purification   

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments   
Not Available   

Part of Plant Used
Whole plant   
Leaves   

Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant   
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Christmas Tree, Used as Ornamental plant   

Used As Indoor Plant
No   
Yes   

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes   
Yes   

Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower   
Container, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall   

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii   
SCHLUMBERGERA x buckleyi   

Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon   
Thanksgiving Cactus, Crab Cactus   

In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon   
क्रिसमस कैक्टस   

In German
Kracher penstemon   
Weihnachtskaktus   

In French
Firecracker penstemon   
Cactus de Noël   

In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo   
Cactus de Navidad   

In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon   
Χριστούγεννα Cactus   

In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete   
Cacto de Natal   

In Polish
petarda penstemon   
Christmas Cactus   

In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria   
Nativitatis Cactus   

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae   
Plantae   

Phylum
Not Available   
Magnoliophyta   

Class
Not Available   
Magnoliopsida   

Order
Lamiales   
Caryophyllales   

Family
Scrophulariaceae   
Cactaceae   

Genus
Penstemon   
Schlumbergera   

Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots   
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots   

Tribe
Not Available   
Not Available   

Subfamily
Not Available   
Cactoideae   

Number of Species
Not Available   
Not Available   

What is >>
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Difference Between Firecracker Penstemon and Christmas Cactus

If you are confused whether Firecracker Penstemon or Christmas Cactus are same, here are some features about those plants to help you choose better. Many people think that these two plants have the same characteristics, but one can see Firecracker Penstemon and Christmas Cactus Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Firecracker Penstemon are All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer and Apply 10-10-10 amount, whereas for Christmas Cactus fertilizers required are All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Firecracker Penstemon and Christmas Cactus if you are planning to have them in your garden to enhance its beauty.

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Importance of Firecracker Penstemon and Christmas Cactus

Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Firecracker Penstemon and Christmas Cactus. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Firecracker Penstemon and Christmas Cactus as they differ in many characteristics such as their life, care, benefits, facts, etc. Every gardener must at least have the slightest clue about the plants he wants to plant in his garden. Compare their benefits, which differ in many ways like facts and uses. The medicinal use of Firecracker Penstemon is Burns, Snakebite and Stomach aliments whereas of Christmas Cactus is Not Available. Firecracker Penstemon has beauty benefits as follows: Not Available while Christmas Cactus has beauty benefits as follows: Not Available.

Compare Facts of Firecracker Penstemon vs Christmas Cactus

How to choose the best garden plant for your garden depending upon its facts? Here garden plant comparison will help you to solve this query. Compare the facts of Firecracker Penstemon vs Christmas Cactus and know which one to choose. As garden plants have benefits and other uses, allergy is also a major drawback of plants for some people. Allergic reactions of Firecracker Penstemon are Asthma whereas of Christmas Cactus have Eye irritation and sneezing respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Firecracker Penstemon has no showy fruits and Christmas Cactus has no showy fruits. Also Firecracker Penstemon is not flowering and Christmas Cactus is not flowering . You can compare Firecracker Penstemon and Christmas Cactus facts and facts of other plants too.

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