Penstemon fruticiformis

Death valley beardtongue

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Death valley beardtongue is a California native shrub found in desert regions at elevations where rocky landscapes and arid conditions predominate. Flowering from spring to early summer, this plant produces pale pink to white flowers with lavender-lined petals and a shaggy-hairy flower floor. Growing as a much-branched subshrub 30 to 60 centimeters tall, it tends to spread wider than its height with young stems appearing glaucous and smooth. Its thick leaves are 25 to 65 millimeters long, often narrowly lanceolate, and typically folded lengthwise or rolled inward. The plant's distinctive staminode is densely hairy and prominently exserted, adding to its unique desert adaptation profile.

California counties: Inyo, San Bernardino, Tulare, Kern

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