Royal Penstemon, Penstemon speciosus

About Royal Penstemon (Penstemon speciosus) 10 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Royal Penstemon is native to the western United States where it can be found in many types of habitat, including plateau and foothill scrub and sub-alpine mountain forests. It is a perennial herb growing erect to a maximum height near 60 centimeters. The leaves are usually lance-shaped and sometimes folded lengthwise, measuring up to 9 centimeters long. They are arranged oppositely and often clasp the stem at the bases. The showy flower cluster bears tubular flowers with expanded mouths, the largest reaching nearly 4 centimeters in length. The flowers come in many shades of light to deep blue, lavender, and purple, and usually have white throats.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Perennial herb

Size

2 - 2.5 ft tall
2 ft wide

Form

Upright

Growth Rate

Fast, Moderate

Flower Color

Blue, Lavender, Purple

Flowering Season

Summer, Spring

Wildlife Supported

Hummingbirds and various insects
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 18 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

Summer Irrigation

Max 2x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 10

Ease of Care

Moderately Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage

Fast

Soil Description

Tolerant of a variety of soils as long as adequate drainage is provided. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Bird Gardens, Hummingbird Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Bee Gardens

Companion Plants

Trees - Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia), Pinyon Pine (Pinus monophylla), Juniper (Juniperus species), Red Fir (Abies magnifica), Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) Shrubs and herbs - Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), Sulphur Buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum), Blue Flax ((Linum lewisii), Scarlet Gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata), and Lupine (Lupinus species)

Propagation?

For propagating by seed: 1-2 mos. stratification.

Sunset Zones?

1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 15, 16

Natural Setting

Site Type

Sagebrush scrub, sub-alpine mountain forests (fir or pine), primarily inland mountain or foothill areas that experience hot summers and cold winters, such as the Owen's Valley and Modoc Plateau

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 4.6" - 91.1", Summer Precipitation: 0.40" - 3.86", Coldest Month: 10.6" - 52.4", Hottest Month: 34.0" - 79.2", Humidity: 0.52" - 32.87", Elevation: 1218" - 14090"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Royal Beardtongue, Showy Penstemon

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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

Royal Penstemon

Penstemon speciosus

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Royal PenstemonPenstemon speciosus

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Royal Penstemon

Penstemon speciosus