Penstemon
beardtongue, penstemon
31 species
21 subspecies and varieties
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Penstemon acuminatussand dune penstemon, sharp-leaved penstemon
Distribution: Occurring from Chelan and Douglas counties south along the Columbia River to Klickitat County; central Washington to north-central Oregon, also from southeastern Oregon to northern Nevada, east to southwestern Idaho.
Habitat: Dry, open, sandy places at low elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. acuminatus – sand dune beardtongue, sand dune penstemon, sharp-leaved penstemon
Penstemon attenuatustaper-leaved beardtongue, sulphur penstemon, taper-leaved penstemon
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; southeastern British Columbia to northeastern Oregon, east to western Montana and Wyoming.
Habitat: Dry to moist meadows and woodland slopes from the lowlands to the subalpine.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. attenuatus – taper-leaved beardtongue, sulphur penstemon, taper-leaved penstemon
Penstemon barrettiaeBarrett's beardtongue
Distribution: Occurring in the east end of the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; south-central Washington to adjacent north-central Oregon.
Habitat: Woodland openings and rocky slopes at low elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-May
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon cardwelliiCardwell's beardtongue
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; southwestern Washington to southwestern Oregon.
Habitat: Open or wooded summits or slopes at middle elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon cinereusgray beardtongue
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; central Washington to northeastern California and northwestern Nevada.
Habitat: Open areas at low to middle elevations in loamy or igneous rocky or gravelly soils.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-June
ssp. cinereus – gray beardtongue
ssp. foliatus – leafy gray beardtongue
Penstemon confertuslesser yellow beardtongue
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon, east to Alberta, Idaho and Montana.
Habitat: Coniferous forest openings and open slopes from low to middle elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon davidsoniiDavidson's penstemon
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California and Nevada.
Habitat: Open, rocky areas, from middle to high elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. davidsonii – Davidson's beardtongue
var. menziesii – Davidson's beardtongue
Penstemon deustushot-rock penstemon
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Montana and Utah.
Habitat: Dry sites at moderate to mid-elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. deustus – hot-rock penstemon
var. variabilis – hotrock penstemon, scabland penstemon, scorched penstemon
Penstemon ellipticusrockvine beardtongue
Distribution: Southwest Alberta, southeast British Columbia, northern Idaho and northwest Montana.
Habitat: Rocky places at high elevations in the mountains, often on cliffs, ledges, or in rock crevices.
Origin: Native
Flowers: Late June - September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon eriantheruscrested-tongue penstemon, fuzzy-tongue penstemon
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest chiefly in central and northeastern Washington; Southeast British Columbia to Oregon, east to the northern Great Plains.
Habitat: Dry, open places in the valleys, plains and foothills, sometimes ascending to middle elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. eriantherus – fuzzy-tongue penstemon
var. whitedii – Whited's fuzzy-tongue penstemon
Penstemon euglaucusglaucous beardtongue
Distribution: In Washington from Mt. Adams south; Washington south to central Oregon.
Habitat: Dry, sandy, open or sparsely wooded slopes at moderate elevations to subalpine meadows.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon fruticosusbush penstemon, shrubby penstemon
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia south to Oregon, east to Montana and Wyoming.
Habitat: Common in rocky, open or wooded areas, foothills to rather high elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. fruticosus – shrubby penstemon
var. scouleri – shrubby penstemon
var. serratus – shrubby penstemon
Penstemon gairdnerigairdner's penstemon
Distribution: East of the Cascades in Washington; Washington south to Oregon, east to Idaho.
Habitat: Dry, open sagebrush desert and scablands, low to moderate elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. gairdneri – Gairdner's penstemon
Penstemon glandulosusglandular penstemon
Distribution: Along the east base of the Cascades, Chelan to Klickitat Counties, Washington, and at scattered locations in Oregon and Idaho.
Habitat: Open, often rocky hillsides and banks in the foothills, valleys, and lower mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. chelanensis – sticky-stem penstemon
var. glandulosus – sticky-stem penstemon
Penstemon hesperiustall beardtongue
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in southwestern Washington; narrowly distributed from southwestern Washington to northwestern Oregon.
Habitat: Moist, lowland meadows and stream banks.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon lyalliiLyall's penstemon
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in northeastern Washington; southeastern British Columbia to northeastern Washington, east to Alberta, northern Idaho, and northwestern Montana.
Habitat: Rocky slopes, talus, and rock outcrops.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon ovatusegg-leaf beardtongue, broad-leaved penstemon
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; southern British Columbia to Oregon.
Habitat: Open woods below 3000 feet in elevation.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon palmeriPalmer's penstemon
Distribution: Reported from Spokane County in Washington; Washington south to California, east to the Rocky Mountains.
Habitat: Roadsides where seeded for soil stabilization.
Origin: Introduced from southwestern United States
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. palmeri – Palmer's penstemon
Penstemon pennellianusBlue Mountains beardtongue, Pennell's beardtongue
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in the Blue Mountains of southeastern Washington; southeastern Washington to Blue Mountains in adjacent northeastern Oregon.
Habitat: Open, gravelly and sandy slopes and ridges, sometimes associated with ponderosa pine forest openings, at middle elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon procerussmall-flowered penstemon
Distribution: Widely distributed throughout Washington; Alaska south to California, east to North Dakota, Wyoming and Colorado.
Habitat: Moist forest openings at moderate elevations to rocky slopes at high elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. procerus – small-flowered penstemon
var. tolmiei – small-flowered penstemon
Penstemon pruinosusChelan beardtongue
Distribution: Chiefly on the east slope of the Cascades in Washington; British Columbia south to Washington.
Habitat: Open, rocky places from the valleys and plains to moderate elevations in the mountains, and in the scablands in Washington.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon richardsoniiRichardson's penstemon
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; southern British Columbia to north-central and northeast Oregon.
Habitat: Cliff crevices and other dry, rocky places at low to moderate elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
var. richardsonii – Richardson's penstemon
Penstemon rupicolacliff beardtongue, rock penstemon
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest and in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; Washington to California.
Habitat: Rock cliffs and rocky slopes from middle elevations in the mountains to the alpine.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon rydbergiiRydberg's beardtongue
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades in Washington; Washington south to the Sierras of California, east to northern Wyoming and northern New Mexico.
Habitat: Meadows and moist, open slopes, occasionally on drier slopes with sagebrush, chiefly in the foothills and at moderate elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon serrulatusCascade beardtongue, coast penstemon
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest and in the Olympic Mountains in Washington; southern British Columbia to Oregon.
Habitat: Moist to wet meadows and forest openings, from low elevations to the subalpine.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon speciosusroyal beardtongue, showy penstemon
Distribution: East of the Cascades in Washington; Washington south to California, east to Nevada and Utah.
Habitat: Dry, open or sparsely wooded areas, often with sagebrush, juniper or ponderosa pine, mostly in the lowlands and foothills.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon subserratusfine-toothed beardtongue, subserrate beardtongue
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in central Washington from Chelan County south; north-central Washington to north-central Oregon.
Habitat: Open ponderosa pine forest and clearings at low elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon triphylluswhorled beardtongue
Distribution: Occurring chiefly in the southeastern area of Washington; Southeast Washington south to adjacent Oregon and east to adjacent Idaho.
Habitat: Cliff crevices and dry, rocky banks and slopes at low elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon venustuselegant beardtongue, Blue Mountain penstemon
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades in Washington, especially in the Blue Mountains area; Washington south to California and Utah, east to Idaho.
Habitat: Open, rocky slopes, from the foothills to moderate elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon washingtonensisWashington beardtongue
Distribution: Endemic to Chelan and Okanogan counties, Washington.
Habitat: From open slopes and flats at moderate elevations to alpine meadows.
Origin: Native
Flowers: July-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Penstemon wilcoxiiWilcox's beardtongue
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to Oregon, east to Montana.
Habitat: Open or often wooded, sometimes in rocky places, from the foothills to moderate elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial