Scabland Penstemon, Penstemon deustus

About Scabland Penstemon (Penstemon deustus) 8 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Penstemon deustus is a species of penstemon known by the common names hotrock penstemon and scabland beardtongue. It is native to much of the northwestern United States from the Pacific Northwest to Wyoming, where it grows in many types of forest and open plateau habitat, often on soils heavy in volcanic rock or on limestone outcrops. It is a perennial herb with upright branches approaching 40 centimeters in maximum height. The thick leaves are lance-shaped to oval or round, and are sharply toothed. Most leaves occur low on the plant. The flower cluster produces tubular flowers with lipped, five-lobed mouths. The hairy flower is cream in color with dark lining and reaches 1.5 centimeters in length. This plant is used in wilderness revegetation and landscaping projects in its native region. It is favored for its low water needs and its abundant flowers which attract pollinators, including honey bees, bumblebees, sweat bees, and leafcutter bees.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

1.3 - 2.3 ft tall

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Moderate

Flower Color

Yellow, Cream

Flowering Season

Spring

Wildlife Supported

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 14 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Common Buckeye Junonia coeniaJunonia coenia

Variable Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedonaEuphydryas chalcedona

Edith's Checkerspot Euphydryas edithaEuphydryas editha

Arachne Checkerspot Poladryas arachnePoladryas arachne

Anicia Checkerspot Euphydryas aniciaEuphydryas anicia

Snowberry Checkerspot Euphydryas colonEuphydryas colon

White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Very Low

Nurseries

Carried by 8

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Soil Description

Prefers sandy or loamy soils. Does not grow well in clay soils.

Common uses

Bird Gardens, Hummingbird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Natural Setting

Site Type

Open, rocky, igneous soils

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 7.2" - 158.7", Summer Precipitation: 0.43" - 5.81", Coldest Month: 10.8" - 48.9", Hottest Month: 34.1" - 73.0", Humidity: 0.37" - 22.89", Elevation: 898" - 14090"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Hotrock Penstemon, Scabland Beardtongue

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Scabland Penstemon

Penstemon deustus

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Scabland PenstemonPenstemon deustus

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Scabland Penstemon

Penstemon deustus