perennial
Firespike
Odontonema cuspidatum
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Odontonema cuspidatum is a fast-growing evergreen perennial for gardens in zones 9–11. It grows 3–5 ft tall and 2–4 ft wide, so plant it 3 ft apart. Give it part sun to shade and average water. It flowers red in September to December. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the filler role: a flowering plant that fills the middle or front of the bed. Deer may browse it when other food is short, and it is toxic to dogs and cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Pacific Northwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Odontonema cuspidatum
- Plant type
- Perennial, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 9 to 11
- Sun
- Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours); Shade (under 2 hours)
- Water
- Medium
- Soil
- Average, well-drained soil.
- Mature size
- 3–5 ft tall × 2–4 ft wide
- Spacing
- 3 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Sep–Dec · red
- Roles in a bed
- Filler
- Styles
- cottage, modern
- Deer resistance
- Medium: browsed when deer are hungry
- Pets
- Toxic to dogs and cats. Not in the ASPCA database and no reliable toxicity data found; marked toxic as a precaution pending review.
- Native to
- Not native to the US (or a garden hybrid)
- Pot size and price
- 1-gallon pot, typically $12–$20 (sometimes stocked)
- Plant in
- Spring
- First-year watering
- Water deeply once or twice a week through the first growing season; keep soil evenly moist, not soggy.
- Pruning
- Cut spent spikes; cut back hard after frost damage in zone 9.
Sources: ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List (from general knowledge; not re-checked unless verification is web-checked); Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder and grower tags; State extension service guidance and USDA PLANTS distribution maps; Rutgers NJAES Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance; Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States and state noxious weed lists; Typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box retail listings (estimate). Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Firespike, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Autumn fernDryopteris erythrosorafern · zones 5–9
- Dwarf yaupon holly 'Nana'Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'shrub · zones 7–10
- Turk's capMalvaviscus arboreus var. drummondiiperennial · zones 8–10
- Holly fernCyrtomium falcatumfern · zones 7–10
- Smooth hydrangea 'Annabelle'Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'shrub · zones 3–9
- Shrubby yew pinePodocarpus macrophyllus var. makishrub · zones 8–10
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Firespike: same role in the bed, passing the same rules.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants