LucasLand

The Wildflowers

Hairy Beardtongue

Penstemon hirsutus

Lifespan: perennial
Natural Habitat: woods, fields, roadsides
Bloom Time: May-July
Bloom Color: pink and white
Bloom Size: 1 inch

Height: 1-3 feet
Growth Habit: standard
Sunlight Requirements: full to filtered sun
Moisture Requirements: moderately (seasonally) dry

The lovely one inch long trumpet shaped violet to purple flowers are carried in a terminal cluster. The leaves are lance-shaped and slightly toothed clasping the lightly hairy stems. Plant grows to 2 to 3 feet tall in dry woods and on rocky hillsides with roadcuts providing an ideal locale. Bloom is from late spring to early summer. Note the yellow hairy 'tongue' on the lower lip of the flower.

The beardtongues are named for the presence of a fifth stamen that forms no pollen and in many species it wears a 'beard' -  a tuft of hairs. In the West this is an enormous and baffling genus. In the East we have about 16 species. The flowers are in clusters that spring from the axils of mostly small leaves or bracts in the upper part of the stem. Leaves are paired and without stalks.