Penstemon rostriflorus (bridgesii)

Common Name:

Plant Type:
Evergreen perennial
Family:
Plantaginaceae (formerly in Scrophulariaceae)
Geographic Origin:
California
California Native?:
Yes

Plant Size:
2-3 feet
Landscape/Garden Uses:
banks
Flowering Season:
Summer

Flower Color:
Red
Exposure:
Full sun
Soils:
Well-drained soil

Suggested Irrigation:
Moderate to occasional watering
Estimated Hardiness:
Hardy to 0 degrees F. or less

If you have traveled the High Sierra in summer, you have probably seen--and been suitably impressed by--this showy California native. It forms broad mounds with upswept slender stems. The leaves are narrow, usually 1-2 inches long, and pale green to slightly grey-green in color. Slender 1-3 foot flower stems carry many clusters of bright red to orange-red, trumpet-shaped blossoms, each about an inch long. This is a fine perennial for neglected sunny banks, and is hardy to below 0 degrees F.