Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest 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.
Flowers: May-July
Origin: Native
Growth Duration: Perennial
Conservation Status: Not of concern
Pollination: Bumblebees, bees, flies, wasps, hummingbirds
Taprooted perennial, shrubby at the base, the numerous, slender and brittle stems 2.5-8 dm. tall, puberulent.
Leaves irregularly arranged, many ternate or whorled, others opposite or single, glabrous or puberulent, all cauline, the lowermost reduced, the others numerous, sessile from a narrow base, linear or narrowly lance-elliptic, up to 5 cm. long and 1 cm. wide, irregularly and sharply toothed.
Inflorescence a loose panicle, often leafy-bracteate below; calyx 4-6 mm. long, the 5 segments green or purplish, entire, often unequal; corolla blue-lavender to light purple-violet, 13-19 mm. long, weakly bilabiate, glandular-hairy outside and glabrous within, the upper lip cleft more than half its length; anthers 0.9-1.3 mm. long, permanently horseshoe-shaped, the pollen sacs saccate and indehiscent below; staminode exerted, long-bearded half its length.
Capsule 4-6 mm. long
PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Penstemon triphyllus in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database
WA Flora Checklist: Penstemon triphyllus checklist entry
OregonFlora: Penstemon triphyllus information
E-Flora BC: Penstemon triphyllus atlas page
CalPhotos: Penstemon triphyllus photos