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Firecracker Penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
  
46 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) 46 Nurseries Carry This Plant Penstemon eatonii is a species in the Plantaginaceae (Plantain) family known by the common name Eaton's Firecracker. It is native to the western United States from California to the Rocky Mountains, where it grows in many types of desert, woodland, forest, and open plateau habitat. In California it is found primarily in high desert areas. It is a perennial herb producing several sprawling to erect stems reaching one meter in maximum height. The leaves, found mostly in the basal rosette, are lance-shaped to oval, untoothed, and up to 9 centimeters in length. The flower cluster produces showy tubular flowers in shades of bright red, sometimes exceeding 3 centimeters in length. The flower is narrow and cylindrical, not spreading much at the mouth. This plant is excellent for rock gardens, desert gardens, and interior valleys.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
2.5 - 3.3 ft tall
3 ft wide

Form
Form
Upright

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Moderate

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Red

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Hummingbirds love the flowers. Species in the Penstemon genus are host plants to several butterfly species including the Arachne Checkerspot, Chalcedon Checkerspot, and Common Buckeye

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 13 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Junonia coenia Image
Common Buckeye Junonia coeniaJunonia coenia
*
Euphydryas chalcedona Image
Variable Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedonaEuphydryas chalcedona
*
Euphydryas editha Image
Edith's Checkerspot Euphydryas edithaEuphydryas editha
*
Poladryas arachne Image
Arachne Checkerspot Poladryas arachnePoladryas arachne
*
Euphydryas anicia Image
Anicia Checkerspot Euphydryas aniciaEuphydryas anicia
*
Hyles lineata Image
White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata
*
Pyrrhia exprimens Image
Purple-Lined Sallow Pyrrhia exprimensPyrrhia exprimens

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 46

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 20° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast

Soil Description
Soil Description
Sand or decomposed granite. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Hummingbird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Use with other high Desert plants such as Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), Brittlebush (Encelia sp.), Apache Plume (Fallugia paradoxa), Juniper (Juniperus sp.), Pinyon Pine (Pinus monophylla), Desert Scrub Oak (Quercus cornelius-mulleri), Desert Sage (Salvia dorrii), and Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia)

Propagation
Propagation?
For propagating by seed: 1-2 mos. stratification.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2, 3, 7*, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Higher elevation deserts of southern and eastern California, below 8,000 ft.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.3" - 40.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.78" - 3.89", Coldest Month: 26.7" - 52.4", Hottest Month: 51.0" - 79.6", Humidity: 0.61" - 29.91", Elevation: 2438" - 9484"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Eaton Penstemon, Eaton's Firecracker, Eaton's Penstemon


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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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