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Fountainbush

Russelia equisetiformis, Plantaginaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called Coral Plant, firecracker plant and fountain plant.

Fountainbush (Russelia equisetiformis), the whole plant.
Amada44, CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
During growth, water moderately and feed monthly with a balanced liquid feed. Give little water in winter.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
While growing, water moderately and give a balanced liquid feed each month.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Repotting
Stems that have rooted can be potted up as new plants.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Stem cuttings
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
In spring, separate layers once rooted. Softwood cuttings can be taken year-round.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Usually free of pests and diseases.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Flowers of Fountainbush (Russelia equisetiformis).
FlowersM108t, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Fountainbush (Russelia equisetiformis) growing wild.
In the wildM108t, CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Russelia equisetiformis, the fountainbush, firecracker plant, coral plant, coral fountain, coralblow or fountain plant, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
Mexico
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Mexico
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Mexico
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
seasonally dry tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
perennial
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Annual, Shrub; habit arching, cascading
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (deciduous)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 24–48 in; width 36–60 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 1-1.5 metres; spread 1.5-2.5 metres after 5–10 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers red/burgundy; blooms in fall, spring, summer, winter
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers red in spring, summer and autumn
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.