Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Fern
Origin
Southwestern United States, California
North America
Types
-
Thelypteris kunthii, Dryopteris ludoviciana, Polystichum acrostichoides
Number of Varieties
40-
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, meadows
Damp shady woods, Wet ground, Wet lands
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-97-10
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-1
12-8
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
4
Habit
Clump-Forming
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Plant Size
Minimum Height
61.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm60.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Crimson
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Bronze
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Pinnate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Fall, Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
From Rhizomes
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 Deeply, Water in morning to avoid prompting diseases, Water occasionally, Water slowly, and allow to dry completely between soakings
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Shade, Partial shade
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
Leaf curl, Leaf rust, Red blotch, Scale, Scale insects
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
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
Butterflies
Allergy
Asthma
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Bog Garden, Borders
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
-
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
-
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Groundcover, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON eatonii
THELYPTERIS kunthii
Common Name
Firecracker Penstemon
Kunth's maiden fern, southern shield fern, maiden ferns
In Hindi
Firecracker penstemon
Southern Shield Fern
In German
Kracher penstemon
Southern Shield Fern
In French
Firecracker penstemon
Southern Shield Fern
In Spanish
Penstemon del petardo
Southern Shield Fern
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
Southern Shield Fern
In Portuguese
Penstemon do foguete
Southern Shield Fern
In Polish
petarda penstemon
Southern Shield Fern
In Latin
Firecracker Persicaria
Southern Shield Fern
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Angiosperms
Class
-
Polypodiopsida
Order
Lamiales
Polypodiales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Thelypteridaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Thelypteris
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
-
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
250180
1
27800
👆🏻