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Foothill Penstemon
Penstemon heterophyllus
  
55 Nurseries Carry This Plant

About Foothill Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus) 55 Nurseries Carry This Plant Penstemon heterophyllus is a species of penstemon known by the common names bunchleaf penstemon and foothill beardtongue. It is endemic to California, where it can be found in all of the major coastal mountain ranges and the northern Sierra Nevada foothills. It is a member of the flora in many local habitat types from grassland to chaparral to forests. It is a perennial herb producing upright, branching stems easily exceeding one meter in height and becoming woody at the bases. The leaves are variable in shape and may reach nearly 10 centimeters long. The flower cluster produces several wide-mouthed tubular flowers up to 4 centimeters in length. The flowers may be shades of blue or purple to nearly magenta. If conditions are right it can be long-lived. Several cultivars have been developed for use in Mediterranean-climate and other low-water-use gardens, including 'Electric Blue', 'Margarita BOP', and 'Blue Springs'.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
3.3 - 5 ft tall
5 ft wide

Form
Form
Fountain

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Evergreen

Flower Color
Flower Color
Blue, Lavender, Purple

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Winter, Spring, Summer

Wildlife Supported
 
Hummingbirds and insects, especially bees, are attracted to the flowers

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 18 likely * ) SHOW ALL
*
Junonia coenia Image
Common Buckeye Junonia coeniaJunonia coenia
*
Euphydryas chalcedona Image
Variable Checkerspot Euphydryas chalcedonaEuphydryas chalcedona
*
Euphydryas editha Image
Edith's Checkerspot Euphydryas edithaEuphydryas editha
*
Poladryas arachne Image
Arachne Checkerspot Poladryas arachnePoladryas arachne
*
Euphydryas anicia Image
Anicia Checkerspot Euphydryas aniciaEuphydryas anicia
*
Euphydryas colon Image
Snowberry Checkerspot Euphydryas colonEuphydryas colon
*
Hyles lineata Image
White-lined Sphinx Hyles lineataHyles lineata

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture
Moisture
Very Low

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 3x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries
Carried by 55

Ease of Care
Ease of Care
Very Easy

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to 10° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerant of a variety of soils as long as drainage is good. Tolerates Sodic Soil. Soil PH: 6.0 - 7.5

Common uses
Common uses
Groundcovers, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens, Hummingbird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Shrubs and Trees - Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), Oaks (Quercus species), Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia), Yucca species Herbs - California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), California Encelia (Encelia californica), Sticky Monkeyflower Mimulus aurantiacus), and Scarlet Bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius),

Maintenance
Maintenance
Deadhead to induce more flowering

Propagation
Propagation?
From cuttings.  For propagating by seed: No treatment; 1-2 mos. stratification may improve germination.

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Near the coast, open grassy places, typically on slopes where drainage is good, usually as part of chaparral vegetation. Inland and at higher elevations it also occurs in openings in foothill woodland or pine forest

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 7.6" - 99.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.57", Coldest Month: 28.9" - 55.0", Hottest Month: 54.3" - 78.4", Humidity: 0.29" - 28.30", Elevation: 30" - 6924"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Bunchleaf Penstemon, Foothill 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


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