Beardtongues are members of the Keckiella and Penstemon genera in the plantain family. Many of them are native to the Yuba-Sutter area. Two of these are shrubs (having woody stems), while the others are perennial forbs (having soft stems).
The nectar of beardtongue flowers is a favorite drink of the local anise swallowtail butterfly, while beardtongue leaves are a favorite food of the caterpillars of the local variable checkerspot butterfly.
Shrubs
Gaping Beardtongue
Gaping beardtongue is a three- to four-foot-tall by six-foot-wide, pink- and white-flowering, deciduous shrub that is native to Yuba and Sutter Counties and typically grows at elevations below 9,000 feet. It is most often found on rocky slopes in central oak woodland, valley grassland, or yellow pine forest.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki and the Las Pilitas Nursery website. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Redwood Beardtongue
Redwood beardtongue is a red- or occasionally orange-flowering shrub that is native to Sutter County and typically grows at elevations below 5,000 feet. It is most often found on slopes in yellow pine forest (although Sutter County does not contain any such forests). Botanist Willis Linn Jepson collected redwood beardtongue on the Sutter Buttes in 1891.1
You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Perennial Forbs
Foothill Beardtongue
Foothill beardtongue (Penstemon heterophyllus 'Blue Springs') with California golden poppies in a garden in Marysville. Photo by queerbychoice. Foothill Beardtongue is a three-foot-tall by three-foot-wide, blue- or purple-flowering, evergreen beardtongue that is native to Yuba and Sutter Counties and typically grows at elevations below 5,000 feet. It is most often found on slopes in central oak woodland or yellow pine forest.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki and the Las Pilitas Nursery website. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Gay Beardtongue
Gay beardtongue is a two-foot-tall, blue- or purple-flowering, beardtongue that is native to Yuba County and typically grows at elevations below 8,500 feet. It is found in central oak woodland or yellow pine forest. It prefers full sun.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki and the Las Pilitas Nursery website or USDA Conservation Plant Characteristics. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Azure Beardtongue
Azure beardtongue is a two-foot-tall by three-foot-wide, blue- or purple-flowering, evergreen beardtongue that is native to Yuba County and typically grows at elevations between 1,000 and 8,000 feet. It is most often found on slopes in central oak woodland or yellow pine forest.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki and the Las Pilitas Nursery website. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
Mountain Pride Beardtongue
Mountain pride beardtongue is a two-foot-tall by three-foot-wide, pink-flowering, evergreen beardtongue that is native to Yuba County and typically grows at elevations between 4,500 and 11,500 feet. It is most often found on rocky outcrops and scree in yellow pine forest. It tolerates partial shade.
You can read more about it at the Theodore Payne Wiki and the Las Pilitas Nursery website or USDA Conservation Plant Characteristics. You can see pictures of it at CalPhotos, Flickr, and Picasa. You can find out where to buy it at the California Native Plant Link Exchange.
