Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Cactus, Flowering Plants
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
Mexico, Texas
Types
-
Astrophytum asterias
Number of Varieties
403
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
Desert, In desert grasslands, Rocky areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-913-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12-10
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
21,22,23,24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm15.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm4.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
Red, Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
Green, Pale Pink
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
-
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
-
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
-
Growth Rate
Fast
-
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings, 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
Needs very little water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
-
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial 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
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Dry root rot, Root mealy bugs
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
pollinators
Allergy
Asthma
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
-
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Flowers
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
-
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
Astrophytum asterias
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Star Cactus, Sand Dollar Cactus
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
रेत डॉलर कैक्टस
In German
Kracher penstemon
Sand Dollar Cactus
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Sand Dollar Cactus
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
Sand Dollar Cactus
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
Sand Dollar Cactus
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
Cacto do dólar de areia
In Polish
petarda penstemon
Sand Dollar Cactus
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
Sand Dollar Cactus
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Caryophyllales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Astrophytum
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Cacteae
Subfamily
-
Cactoideae
Number of Species
2506
1
27800
👆🏻