Our Plants (List)

One of the West’s most celebrated wildflowers is the beardtongues of the Penstemon genus. Thought to have first evolved in Utah, the genus has proliferated throughout the West into a variety of habitats, expressing a wide range of growth forms. Palmer’s penstemon is native to arid places in the Southwest…

This variety of Penstemon procerus is endemic to high altitude locations in the Sierra Nevadas and Klammath Mountains of northern California. As the common name suggests, it grows in a tight, low mound of small, rounded leaves – just 2 inches tall or so. The flowers are blue to lavender,…

This penstemon grows wild in the Mojave and Sonora Deserts of California into the Southwest. It is part of a group of Penstemon with stiff upright stems and large lance-shaped leaves. This group – referred to as the Section Peltanthera – includes several well – known penstemon such as P….

Bridge penstemon grows at mid to high elevations in the mountains of the Southwest. In California one encounters this ornate beardtongue in the southern Sierra Nevadas, the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges, growing in typical rocky substrate. Bridge penstemon forms a rounded perennial of dull-green linear leaves. Its red bloom is…

This is another species from the Sierra Nevada and Klammath Mountains, though its range extends into Oregon. The lance-shaped leaves rise to about 6 inches. Their dense growth and rich green color remind one of bunch grass. The clump will expand with time. The flower panicles increase the height to…