Penstemon deustus var. pedicellatus

Hot rock beardtongue

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Hot rock beardtongue is a California native shrub found in the northern Sierra Nevada Mountains, Modoc Plateau, and high-elevation regions of sagebrush scrub and pinyon-juniper woodland at elevations of 900 to 3,000 meters. Flowering from May to July, this plant produces flowers with an unusual brown-tinted upper lip, set against pale petals approximately 10 to 12 millimeters long. Growing with erect stems and a compact structure, it forms dense clusters in rocky, high-elevation landscapes. Its leaves are distinctively narrow and lanceolate, measuring 2.5 to 8 millimeters wide, with a sharp, angular presentation. The plant's delicate calyx, measuring 2.5 to 5 millimeters long, features sharply pointed lanceolate lobes that contribute to its distinctive alpine appearance.

Habitat: Sagebrush scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland, yellow-pine and montane forests

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: 900-3000 m

Bioregions: CaRH, n SNH, MP

California counties: Lassen, Inyo, Mono, Sierra, Modoc, Shasta, Plumas, Siskiyou, Placer, Alpine, Nevada, El Dorado, Butte, Tuolumne

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.