Local Penstemon

White Beardtongue in Schenley Park (photo by Kate St. John)

These inch-long flowers are blooming now in Schenley Park.   They stand out because the plant is three feet tall.

Though penstemons are common in the western U.S. Penstemon digitalis is one of the few species native to Pennsylvania.  I found several blooming in a new location in the park, probably because their seeds were in a native plant mix applied to an erosion project.

Their scientific name is easy to remember.  The common name is a mouthful:  Foxglove beardtongue.   Try saying that three times fast.

(photo by Kate St. John)

p.s. The pistil in this flower looks like a tongue and it has hairs, thus “beardtongue.”

2 thoughts on “Local Penstemon

  1. I have penstemon in my Arizona garden – their pink flowers brighten up the desert landscape, but they don’t grow so tall. I had no idea a variety also grew in PA.

  2. I have these growing behind the barn…one of my favorites…you are getting pretty good with that camera….

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