Penstemon cinereus
ashy-gray beardtongue
(c) Steve Matson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Plantaginaceae
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Penstemon cinereus (ashy-gray beardtongue) is a California plant in the Plantaginaceae family.
I apologize, but I cannot generate a description for this plant because the critical data fields are empty. The description requires specific details about: - Common Name - Plant Type - Native Status - Bioregional Distributions - Elevation Range - Habitat - Flowering Time - Jepson Description Without these foundational pieces of information, I cannot construct an accurate botanical description following the established rules. If you can provide the missing data, I would be happy to help generate a description. Note: Jepson eFlora does not treat this as a distinct taxon; it considers it a synonym of Penstemon humilis var. humilis.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Differentiators are not available at this time.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
How to tell it apart
vs Epilobium: Penstemon has tubular two-lipped flowers with five stamens; Epilobium has four-petaled open flowers with eight stamens.; vs Keckiella: Penstemon is herbaceous and dies back; Keckiella has persistent woody stems year-round.; vs Salvia: Penstemon has five stamens (one sterile); Salvia has only two fertile stamens and square stems.; vs Ipomopsis: Penstemon has two-lipped tubular flowers; Ipomopsis has star-shaped flowers with five equal lobes.; vs Antirrhinum: Penstemon has a sterile stamen visible inside; Antirrhinum has only four stamens, none sterile.
Frequently asked questions
What plant family does Penstemon cinereus belong to?
Penstemon cinereus is in the Plantaginaceae family, genus Penstemon.
Is Penstemon cinereus rare or endangered?
Penstemon cinereus carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Penstemon cinicola — Ash beardtongue
- Penstemon clevelandii — Cleveland's beardtongue
- Penstemon clevelandii var. clevelandii — Cleveland's beardtongue
- Penstemon clevelandii var. connatus — San jacinto beardtongue
- Penstemon clevelandii var. mohavensis — Mohave beard's tongue
- Penstemon davidsonii var. davidsonii — Davidson's beardtongue
Last updated 2026-10-08
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.