Penstemon rostriflorus

Beaked penstemon

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Beaked penstemon is a California native shrub found in central and southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, southern eastern Sierra Nevada, and desert mountains in dry sagebrush, Joshua-tree scrub, pinyon and juniper woodland, and montane forest at elevations of 500 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces red to orange flowers 22 to 33 millimeters long with an upper lip forming a hood over anthers and a strongly reflexed lower lip. Growing with woody-branched clumps 30 to 100 centimeters tall, it has either glabrous stems or stems that are finely hairy near the base. Its cauline leaves are 20 to 70 millimeters long, ranging from linear to lanceolate and entirely edged. The inflorescence is glandular, with flowers featuring a calyx 4 to 8 millimeters long with lanceolate to narrowly ovate lobes.

Habitat: dry sagebrush or Joshua-tree scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland, montane forest

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 500-3500 m

Bioregions: c&amps SNH, TR, PR, SNE, DMtns

California counties: Kern, Mono, Tuolumne, Los Angeles, Tulare, Inyo, San Bernardino, Fresno, Ventura, Riverside, Madera, San Diego, Mariposa, San Luis Obispo, Alpine, Modoc, Santa Barbara

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