Penstemon procerus var. formosus

Pincushion beardtongue

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Pincushion beardtongue is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges and Sierra Nevada Mountains in alpine barrens at elevations of 2,100 to 3,600 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces delicate flowers in compact clusters. Growing with tiny stems 5 to 12 centimeters tall, it forms a low, dense cushion in harsh alpine environments. Its upper leaves are narrow, measuring 5 to 20 millimeters long and 1 to 5.5 millimeters wide, clustered tightly along the compact stems. The plant's diminutive size and alpine habitat make it well-adapted to extreme high-elevation conditions.

Habitat: Alpine barrens

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: 2100-3600 m

Bioregions: KR, SNH

California counties: Mono, Siskiyou, Alpine, Inyo, Tuolumne, Trinity

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