Penstemon pseudospectabilis

Desert penstemon

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2

Desert penstemon is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native shrub found in desert regions in gravelly or rocky desert washes, canyon floors, creosote-bush scrub, and pinyon/juniper woodland at elevations of 100 to 1,750 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces red-pink flowers 17 to 25 millimeters long with strong internal lines and glandular surfaces. Growing 30 to 100 centimeters tall with young stems that are glaucous and smooth, it develops distinctive branching habits. Its upper leaves are widely triangular-ovate, 30 to 90 millimeters long, with slightly serrated edges and bases that fuse around the stem, creating disk-like leaf pairs. The plant's delicate red-pink flowers feature a gradually expanding throat and closely held glandular anthers, making it a striking desert landscape specimen.

Habitat: Gravelly or rocky desert washes, canyon floors, creosote-bush scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: generally 100-1750 m

Bioregions: D

California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Imperial

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