COMMON NAME
Foothill penstemon
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Penstemon heterophyllus
ALSO KNOWN AS
Bunchleaf penstemon, Foothill beardtongue
Plant family
Plantain (Plantaginaceae)
Plant group
Wildflowers and Herbs
Foothill Penstemon is a shrub-like perennial that has a low, neat habit, growing 1 to 1 1/2' high. It produces many upright, branching stems, becoming woody at the base. In milder climates, it often remains evergreen.
5 reports
3+
OBSERVERS
5+
OBSERVATIONS
Identification hints
While many Penstemons have a hairy staminode (a stamen that does not produce any pollen), the foothill Penstemon's staminode is hairless.
Did you know?
Under the right conditions, foothill Penstemon can live for 30 years or more.
DISTRIBUTION IN TH U.S.
California
HABITAT
Foothill Penstemon is native to grasslands, chaparral, and open woodlands in the foothills of California's mountains at elevations less than 5500'.
ATTRIBUTES
Leaves
The leaves grow opposite one another on the stem, and they can vary from long and narrow to lance shaped, growing 2-4" long.
Flowers
Stems terminate in a loose cluster of blue to purple to magenta flowers. The flowers are 1-1/2" long and tubular, with petals divided into an upper and lower lip, the lower with 3 lobes and the upper with 2 lobes. Each flower has 5 stamens, one of which is a sterile stamen called a staminode (it does not produce pollen). The other 4 stamens curl up and into the tubular flower, and the anthers are curled as well.
Fruits
Fruit is a dry capsule with many small seeds.
Bloom Time
Flowers bloom from late spring to summer.
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