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.
Flowers: May-August
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Perennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Bumblebees, bees, flies, wasps, hummingbirds
Basally shrubby, mat-forming perennial, the spreading-hairy, erect or ascending stems up to 1 dm. tall.
Mat leaves thick and firm, glaucous, glabrous or with short, spreading hairs, irregularly serrulate, the broadly elliptic or obovate blade 8-18 mm. long; leaves of the flowering shoots opposite, few, less than 1 cm. long.
Inflorescence a compact, few-flowered raceme, glandular-hairy; calyx 6-11 mm. long, the 5 segments narrowly lance-elliptic to ovate-oblong; corolla bright pink to rose-purple, 25-35 mm. long, keeled on the back, usually glabrous inside and out; anthers long-woolly; pollen sacs wholly dehiscent and opening wide enough to form a plane; staminode slender, shorter that the fertile filaments, nearly glabrous.
Capsule
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Penstemon rupicola in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Penstemon rupicola checklist entry
OregonFlora: Penstemon rupicola information
E-Flora BC: Penstemon rupicola atlas page
CalPhotos: Penstemon rupicola photos