North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Genus:
Family:

Penstemon canescens

Penstemon canescens (Britton) Britton

eastern gray beardtongue, appalachian beardtongue

Synonym(s): Penstemon brittoniorum, Penstemon canescens var. brittoniorum, Penstemon canescens var. typicus

Penstemon canescens (Eastern Gray Beardtongue)

Image ID: 12612
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: PECA8
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Penstemon canescens
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-11-01

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: PENST
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Penstemon
GENUS AUTHORITY: Schmidel
GENUS COMMON: Beardtongue
GENUS SUMMARY: [contributed by Alan S. Weakley and Dwayne Estes]
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Estes (2012)=Y; Clements, Baskin, & Baskin (1998)=Z; Pennell (1935)=P. Key based on Y and Z.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: PLANTA
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Plantaginaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Plantain Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: As radically recircumscribed, a family of about 120 genera and 1800 species.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Albach, Meudt, & Oxelman (2005); Olmstead et al. (2001); Schwarzbach in Kadereit (2004); Fischer in Kadereit (2004).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect perennial found in woodlands, glades, forest edges, rocky woodlands and along roadsides.
STEMS: Stems 1-several but not branched above base, covered with spreading hairs.
LEAVES: Leaves opposite, sessile, elliptic-oblong to narrowly triangular (basal leaves broader), to 5 1/2 in. long, toothed, hairy.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers in a moderately compact terminal panicle, with glandular-hairy branches angled upward; pinkish-lavender; 1/2-1 1/4 in. long; bilaterally symmetric; the corolla tubular with 2 lips, the upper one 2-lobed and slightly shorter than the lower, which is 3 lobed. Corolla throat white with purple lines inside and a barely protruding yellow-bearded tongue.
FRUITS:
COMMENTS: Identification of Penstemon species is difficult due to variations in flower characters such as color, patterning, relative length of parts and degree of constriction/dilation of the corolla tube.
HEIGHT: 1-2 1/2 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Opposite
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Bilateral (Zygomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: May-Jul

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Pinkish-white

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x		x						x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Disturbed, Dry forests, Outcrops and glades, Woods margins
NATIVE RANGE: southeastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Eastern Gray Beardtongue has numerous tubular flowers, typically white with a tinge of pink, held on wiry upright stems above basal foliage. This southeastern native perennial is sometimes seen on roadsides, primarily in the coastal plain and piedmont. Good drainage is essential. As with other species of Penstemon, light self- sowing may occur as a welcome Bonus.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Well-drained
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 4
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
87	2012-0059	2012-06-05	88	View
2853	1987-0365			View
7161	1999-0122	1999-09-20		View
8221	2004-0242	2007-03-05		View
9376	2021-0039	2021-04-05	0	View

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
88	HORT	2005-09-30	Bryan	View
1341	HORT	2006-11-02	Bryan	View
1539	HORT	2005-03-08	Bryan	View
1732	HORT	2005-01-01	Bryan	View
2029	NPMD	2020-07-29	Handel	View
2044	NPMD	2020-07-22	Adams	View
2045	NPMD	2020-08-01	Kunz	View
2046	NPMD	2020-07-27	Adams	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
4745	2853	8	NCBG staff	1982-07-29	View
4746	2853	9	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
4747	2853	27	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
4748	2853	27	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
10105	7161	115	NCBG staff	1999-05-01	View
11490	8221	143	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12604	9376	226	Wait	2020-06-26	View
12605	9376	227	Wait	2020-06-26	View
12606	9376	228	Wait	2020-06-26	View
12607	9376	229	Wait	2020-06-26	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: PECA8
USDA Common Name: Eastern Gray Beardtongue
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, NC, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Penstemon canescens
COMMON NAME: Appalachian Beardtongue
SYNONYMY: [= F, G, S, Va, WV; > P. canescens - RAB, C, K, Pa, W, Z; > P. canescens var. typicus - P; > P. canescens var. brittonorum (Pennell) Pennell - P; > P. brittonorum Pennell - S]
PHENOLOGY: May-Jul.
HABITAT: Woodlands, glades, forest edges, rocky woodlands, roadsides.
COMMENTS: PA and s. IN south to nc. GA, n. AL, and c. TN.
RANGE MAP: Penstemon canescens.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Plantaginaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Plantain Family)
SUMMARY: As radically recircumscribed, a family of about 120 genera and 1800 species.
REFERENCE: Albach, Meudt, & Oxelman (2005); Olmstead et al. (2001); Schwarzbach in Kadereit (2004); Fischer in Kadereit (2004).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Penstemon Schmidel (Beardtongue)
SUMMARY: [contributed by Alan S. Weakley and Dwayne Estes]
REFERENCE: Estes (2012)=Y; Clements, Baskin, & Baskin (1998)=Z; Pennell (1935)=P. Key based on Y and Z.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Penstemon canescens in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Penstemon canescens in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Penstemon canescens in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Penstemon canescens in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Penstemon canescens in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Penstemon canescens