Penstemon palmeri, known by the common name Palmer's penstemon, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the genus Penstemon that is notable for its showy, rounded flowers, and for being one of the few scented penstemons. The plant, in the family Plantaginaceae, is named after the botanist Edward Palmer.
Penstemon caesius is a species of penstemon known by the common name San Bernardino beardtongue. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains, as well as the southern mountains of the Sierra Nevada. It is a member of the flora on rocky slopes and in coniferous forests and alpine habitat in the mountains. It is a perennial herb with erect branches up to about 80 centimeters in maximum height. The lower branches may be woody, the upper hairless and waxy, and the inflorescence glandular. Most of the leaves are basal on the plant, rounded or oval, and up to about 4 centimeters long. The inflorescence produces purple-blue tubular flowers roughly 2 centimeters long. The flower has a glandular outer surface, a coat of hairs inside, and a hairless staminode. The flowers of this penstemon are pollinated by bees of genus Osmia, which feed on their nectar.
Penstemon californicus is a species of penstemon known by the common name California penstemon. It is native to Baja California and is also known from fewer than 20 occurrences in California, mainly in Orange and Riverside Counties. It grows in the forest and woodland habitat of the Peninsular Ranges and nearby slopes.
Penstemon filiformis is an uncommon species of Penstemon known by the common name threadleaf beardtongue. It is endemic to the Klamath Mountains of northern California, where it grows in forest and woodland, often on serpentine soils. It is a perennial herb growing up to half a meter tall, its stem hairy and woody toward the base. The leaves are very narrow, linear and rolled to threadlike, reaching up to 7 centimeters long, those low on the plant sometimes borne in clusters. The inflorescence produces hairless, tubular or funnel-shaped blue to purple flowers just over a centimeter in length.
Penstemon floridus is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names Panamint beardtongue and rose penstemon.
Penstemon fruticiformis is a species of penstemon known by the common name Death Valley beardtongue. It is native to the western United States, where it is found growing in rocky scrub, woodlands, deserts and mountains of eastern California and western Nevada. It is known from scattered occurrences around Death Valley, and only one of the two varieties occurs on the Nevada side of the border. It is a perennial herb producing spreading, multibranched, hairless and waxy stems 30 to 60 centimeters tall. The thick leaves are generally lance-shaped, folded and rolled, and up to 6.5 centimeters in length. The inflorescence produces several white or pale pinkish-lavender flowers between 2 and 3 centimeters long. The mouth of the flower bears a stark, dark line on each of its three lower lobes, nectar guides for its pollinators which probably include native bumble bees.
Penstemon pahutensis is a species of penstemon known by the common name Pahute Mesa beardtongue, or simply Pahute beardtongue. It is native to the desert hills and mountains of southern Nevada, including the Pahute Mesa for which it is named. It can also be found in a few areas over the border in California. It is a perennial herb growing up to 35 centimeters (14 in) tall. The paired, narrow leaves are linear to lance-shaped and up to 10 centimeters (4 in) long. The inflorescence bears blue-purple flowers up to 3 centimeters long. The inside of the wide mouth of the flower is lined with white or yellow hairs, and the staminode is coated in yellow hairs.
Penstemon papillatus is a species of penstemon known by the common name Inyo beardtongue.
Penstemon patens is a species of penstemon known by the common name Lone Pine beardtongue. It is native to the central Sierra Nevada of California and slopes and plateau to the east, its distribution extending just into Nevada. It grows in forest, woodland, and scrub habitat types. It is a perennial herb producing hairless, waxy stems up to about 40 centimeters tall. The thick, lance-shaped, gray-green, opposite leaves are up to 9 centimeters long and 2 wide. There are usually many leaves clustered around the base of the plant and smaller pairs higher on the stem. The inflorescence bears wide-mouthed tubular flowers up to 2 centimeters long with corollas in shades of lavender to magenta. The flower is mostly hairless except for the staminode which may have a coat of orange or yellowish hairs.
Penstemon personatus is an uncommon species of penstemon known by the common name closethroat beardtongue.
Penstemon grandiflorus, known by the common names shell-leaved penstemon, shell-leaf beardtongue, or large-flowered penstemon, is a tall and showy plant in the Penstemon genus from the plains of North America. Due to its large flowers it has found a place in gardens, particularly ones aimed at low water usage like xeriscape gardens.
Penstemon rhizomatosus is a rare species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names Scheel Creek beardtongue and rhizome beardtongue. It is endemic to Nevada in the United States, where it occurs only in the Schell Creek Range of White Pine County.
Penstemon barrettiae is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name Barrett's beardtongue or Barrett's penstemon. It is endemic to a small part of the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Penstemon davidsonii is a species of penstemon known by the common name Davidson's penstemon, honoring Dr. George Davidson. It is native to western North America.
Penstemon virens, commonly known as blue mist penstemon, Front Range penstemon, or Green beardtongue, is a common Penstemon in the Front Range foothills in Colorado and Wyoming. The dainty flowers are an ornament to many rocky or sandy area within its range. It is confusingly similar to Penstemon humilis and Penstemon albertinus though the ranges of these plants do not overlap in the wild. The origin of calling it the "blue mist penstemon" is not precisely known, but is thought to relate to the large number of blue flowers the plant can produce reminding observers of a blue mist.
Penstemon albidus, commonly known as white penstemon, white-flower beardtongue, or Red-Line Beardtongue is a very widespread perennial flower of the mixed-grass and shortgrass prairies. Its natural distribution is from Manitoba and Alberta in Canada to Texas and New Mexico in the United States. The bright white flowers for which they are named are quite attractive to both bees and hummingbird moths.
Penstemon ambiguus, commonly known as the bush penstemon, pink plains penstemon, or gilia beardtongue is a species of Penstemon that grows in the shortgrass prairies and deserts of the western United States and northern Mexico. This bush-like penstemon grows in sandy, loose, and creosote soils and is particularly known for the spectacular flowering show it produces, sometime seasons turning whole hillsides bright pink–white.
Penstemon arenicola, commonly known as Red Desert penstemon, is a species of plant from the Western United States. It primarily grows in Wyoming, but it also grows in small areas of Colorado and Utah. It is a short plant known for growing in sand as referenced by its scientific name.
Penstemon albifluvis, the White River penstemon, is a disputed species or variety of Penstemon that grows in a small area in eastern Utah and western Colorado. It grows mainly on broken shale and rock formations in desert habitats. White River penstemon is very rare.
Penstemon yampaensis, the Yampa penstemon, is a rare species of plant from the western United States. It grows in the Yampa River drainage of Colorado and Wyoming and westward into Utah. It is one of the more unusual penstemons, having almost no stem. It is threatened from habitat disturbance, particularly the invasion of the non-native cheatgrass.
