Penstemon grinnellii

Identification

Gallery

Description

Grinnell's Beard tongue or penstemon is a 1 1/2 ft. high perennial, leaves blue green, 1" pink-violet flowers on a 2 ft. spike in late spring - early summer. This dryland penstemon likes sun, good drainage and is drought tolerant. Penstemon grinnellii is native to California from Kern county south in several spots that are totally unrelated. A very showy rock garden plant. Needs perfect drainage, will survive in clay as long as planted on a slope and not watered in the summer. Do not even try in a wet summer climate. The flowers look pretty enough to eat(I don't think they'd kill you) and are worth growing just to shock your neighbors. Penstemon palmeri, P. spectabilis and P. grinnellii seem to be part of a super penstemon species complex that moves from one form to another across the state. Plant them all in a garden with sages and you'll have a wild place full of color and life. You'll also have fits figuring out what is what. Click here for more about California Penstemons.