Penstemon papillatus

Inyo beardtongue

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 4.3

Inyo beardtongue is a rare (CNPS 4.3) California native shrub found in central Sierra Nevada and eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains in rocky openings of pinyon and juniper woodlands at elevations of 2,100 to 2,900 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces blue-violet flowers 24 to 30 millimeters long with glandular exteriors. Growing as a subshrub 20 to 40 centimeters tall with woody branches near the base, it has an ashy-hairy appearance. Its narrow leaves are 25 to 40 millimeters long, elliptic to oblanceolate, widest at the base, and clasping the stem with a heart-shaped base. The plant's distinctive pale yellow-hairy staminode and glandular blue-violet flowers make it a notable species in its mountain habitat.

Habitat: Rocky openings of pinyon/juniper woodland and montane forest communities

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: 2100-2900 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH, SNE.

California counties: Inyo, Mono

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