Home
Garden Plants


Compare Firecracker Penstemon and Portulaca


Portulaca and Firecracker Penstemon


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Annual  

Type
Flowering Plants  
Flowering Plants  

Origin
Southwestern United States, California  
South America  

Types
-  
Portulaca grandiflora  

Number of Varieties
40  
99+
50  
99+

Habitat
Dry areas, meadows  
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas  

USDA Hardiness Zone
4-9  
5-11  

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  
Prostrate/Trailing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
61.00 cm  
99+
10.20 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
25.40 cm  
99+
20.30 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Crimson  
Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
-  
-  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green  
Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green  
Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Green  
Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
-  
Light Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Oblong  
Needle like  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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, Alkaline  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer  
Indeterminate  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
-  
Drought, Heat Tolerance  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Container, Ground, Pot  

How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting  
Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Low  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry  
Average Water Needs  

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, Slightly Acidic  

Soil Type
Loam, Sand  
Well drained  

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  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Shearing  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount  
Requires high amount of nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Insects  
Aphids, Botrytis Blight, Brown Spots, Gray mold, Root rot, Stem rot  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought, Heat Tolerance  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Semi-Double  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
No  
No  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
No  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Fine  

Foliage Sheen
Matte  
Matte  

Evergreen
No  
No  

Invasive
No  
No  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
Hummingbirds  
Butterflies  

Allergy
Asthma  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes  
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes  

Beauty Benefits
-  
Skin Problems  

Edible Uses
No  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments  
Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite, Swelling  

Part of Plant Used
Whole plant  
Flowers, Leaves, Stem, Whole plant  

Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant  
Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower  
Cottage garden, Edible  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii  
PORTULACA grandiflora  

Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon  
Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sundial Scarlet Portulaca  

In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon  
Portulaca  

In German
Kracher penstemon  
Portulak  

In French
Firecracker penstemon  
portulaca  

In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo  
Portulaca  

In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon  
Portulaca  

In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete  
Portulaca  

In Polish
petarda penstemon  
Portulaca  

In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria  
Portulaca  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
-  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
-  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Lamiales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Scrophulariaceae  
Portulacaceae  

Genus
Penstemon  
Portulaca  

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

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
250  
99+
1  
99+

What is >>
<< All

Difference Between Firecracker Penstemon and Portulaca

If you are confused whether Firecracker Penstemon or Portulaca 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 Portulaca 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 Portulaca fertilizers required are Requires high amount of nitrogen. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Firecracker Penstemon and Portulaca if you are planning to have them in your garden to enhance its beauty.

<Flowering Plants

Compare Perennial Flowers

Importance of Firecracker Penstemon and Portulaca

Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Firecracker Penstemon and Portulaca. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Firecracker Penstemon and Portulaca 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 Portulaca is Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite and Swelling. Firecracker Penstemon has beauty benefits as follows: while Portulaca has beauty benefits as follows: .

Compare Facts of Firecracker Penstemon vs Portulaca

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 Portulaca 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 Portulaca have respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Firecracker Penstemon has no showy fruits and Portulaca has no showy fruits. Also Firecracker Penstemon is not flowering and Portulaca is not flowering . You can compare Firecracker Penstemon and Portulaca facts and facts of other plants too.

Perennial Flowers

Perennial Flowers

» More Perennial Flowers

Compare Perennial Flowers

» More Compare Perennial Flowers