Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Grass
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
Mediterranean, Northern Africa
Types
-
Erianthus ravennae, Saccharum ravennae
Number of Varieties
40190
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
marshes, Riverbanks
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-96-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
9 - 6
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm120.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
Purple, Silver
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Purple
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
White, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Purple, Tan
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Purple, Tan
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Late Summer, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings, Vegetative
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
Water once every two or three weeks
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
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 back all stems to the same height
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
0-10-10 NPK fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Drought, Edema
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
Medium
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
Birds
Allergy
Asthma
Noxious Weed
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Borders, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Erosion control
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
-
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Leaves
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Cultivated for fodder
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
SACCHARUM ravennae
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Hardy Pampas Grass, Plume Grass, Ravennagrass
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
Plume Grass
In German
Kracher penstemon
Plume Gras
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Plume Herbe
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
Penacho de hierba
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
Plume Grass
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
Plume grama
In Polish
petarda penstemon
Pióropusz Trawa
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
Kessinger Grass
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Lilopsida
Order
Lamiales
Cyperales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Saccharum
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Andropogoneae
Subfamily
-
Panicoideae
Number of Species
250400
1
27800
👆🏻