Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Tender Perennial
Origin
Southwestern United States, Mexico
North America, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Types
-
Cryptanthus 'Absolute Zero'
Cryptanthus 'Agate'
Cryptanthus 'Alberta'
Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost'
Number of Varieties
40480
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Wild
Lowland evergreen rainforest, Rainforest, Shaded sites, Wild
USDA Hardiness Zone
8-10-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
10-8
-
Sunset Zone
10, 11, 12, 13
-
Habit
Clump-Forming
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
90.00 cm20.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
5.10 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Hot Pink
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Blue Green, Gray Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Blue Green, Gray Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Blue Green, Gray Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Lance shaped
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
-
Growth Rate
Fast
-
Type of Soil
Sand
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Late Winter
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
occasional watering once established
Average Water Needs, Do not water excessively, Keep the Soil well drained
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
Sand
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
-
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Pinching, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Does not require fertilizer once established
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Variety of soil types
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
-
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds
Ladybug beetles, Mealybugs, Scale Insects
Allergy
poisonous if ingested
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Borders, Showy Purposes
Beautification, Borders, Decorating walls, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
constipation, Stomach pain, Swelling, Wounds
-
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves, Stem
-
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used as Ornamental plant, useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Cutflower, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
-
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON parryi
CRYPTANTHUS
Common Name
Parry's Beardtongue
Cryptanthus, Earth Star
In Hindi
penstemon parryi
Earth Star
In German
penstemon parryi
Erdstern
In French
penstemon parryi
Terre étoile
In Spanish
parryi penstemon
estrella de la tierra
In Greek
penstemon parryi
γη αστεριών
In Portuguese
parryi penstemon
Estrela da terra
In Polish
penstemon parryi
Gwiazda ziemi
In Latin
Persicaria californicum
terra, stella
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Bromeliales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Bromeliaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Cryptanthus
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Bromelioideae
Number of Species
150
1
27800
👆🏻