Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon, east to Alberta, Montana and Wyoming.
Habitat: Common in rocky, open or wooded areas, foothills to rather high elevations in the mountains.
Flowers: May-August
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Perennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Bumblebees, bees, flies, wasps, hummingbirds
Bushy-branched, ascending or erect shrubs, the stems 1.5-4 dm. tall, glabrous except for the stalked glands in the inflorescence.
Leaves opposite, the larger leaves crowded toward the base of the season\\\\'s growth on short, sterile shoots, the blades entire or toothed, up to 6 cm. long and 1.5 cm. wide, short-petiolate; flowering shoots with reduced and less-crowded leaves.
Inflorescence a short, few-flowered, bracteate raceme, with simple, axillary pedicels; calyx 7-15 mm. long, with 5 lanceolate, long-acuminate segments; corolla blue-lavender to light purplish, 30-50 mm. long, 1 cm. wide at the mouth, keeled on the back, glabrous outside, with long, white hairs on the base of the lower lip within; anthers long-woolly, the pollen sacs wholly dehiscent and opening wide enough to form a plane; staminode slender, shorter than the 4 fertile filaments, long-bearded toward the tip.
Capsules 8-12 mm. long.
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Penstemon fruticosus in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Penstemon fruticosus checklist entry
OregonFlora: Penstemon fruticosus information
E-Flora BC: Penstemon fruticosus atlas page
CalPhotos: Penstemon fruticosus photos