This slender perennial plant has purple tube-shaped flowers with a lower lip that acts as a landing platform for visiting insects. Each flower also has a distinctively hairy, orange sterile stamen that sticks out like a tongue, giving the plant its common name. They attract pollinators such as hummingbirds and long-tongued bees. Plants have been used by Indigenous people for medicinal purposes.

Flower Colour:

• Purple

Flowering Season:

• Spring
• Summer

Flowering Months:

• April
• August
• July
• June
• May

Canadian Rarity Status:

Not rare. Listed as “sensitive” in Alberta and “may be at risk” in British Columbia.

Physical Appearance:

Unbranched stems grow 15-60 cm tall. Stalked basal and lower leaves are lance to oval-shaped with toothed edges, that die back early. Opposite unstalked stem leaves are linear to lance-shaped. Tubular, hairy flowers occur in whorls arranged into a loose, slender spike. Each one consists of an upper 2-lobed lip, a lower 3-lobed lip, four fertile stamens, and an orange, hairy, sterile stamen. Fruits are capsules containing numerous seeds.

Similar Species:

Slender Beardtongue (Penstemon procerus Dougl. ex Graham), White Beardtongue (Penstemon albidus Nutt.)

Gardening Notes:

Seeds and/or plants may be available from greenhouses and seed supply companies specializing in native plants. They are a good addition to bird gardens, and can be propagated by seed or cuttings.

Canadian Distribution:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• Ontario
• Saskatchewan

Prairie Types:

• Fescue Prairie
• Mixed Grass Prairie
• Tall Grass Prairie

Habitats:

• Open Woodlands
• Prairies

Moisture Conditions:

• Dry
• Moderate

Light Preference:

• Full Sun
• Part Shade

Soil Preference:

• Gravel
• Sand