Narrowleaf Beardtongue
Penstemon angustifolius
Narrowleaf Beardtongue (Penstemon angustifolius) is a native perennial with waxy blue-green leaves and tiers of tubular blue to lavender flowers up the stem. It grows on open prairies and sandhills in western South Dakota and blooms in May and June. Photographed in the Black Hills.
| Family | Plantaginaceae · Plantain |
|---|---|
| Status | Native perennial |
| Blooms | May and June |
| Height | 15–50 cm (6–20 in) |
| Where | Open prairies and sandhills |
| Also called | Broadbeard Beardtongue, Narrow-leaf Beardtongue, Narrow-leaf Penstemon, Whorled Penstemon, čhaŋȟlóǧaŋ ȟláȟla (Lakota) |
| Traditional use | A 1998 Sitting Bull College list of culturally important Lakota plants records that the blossoms were used to make blue paint for moccasins. |
Roots, seeds & germination
Root: A short-branched caudex (a woody base at ground level).
Seed: An egg-shaped capsule 9–14 mm long holds dark brown seeds 2.5–3.5 mm long.
Germination: Sow in fall, or give seeds 60 days of cold, moist treatment before spring planting.
How do you identify Narrowleaf Beardtongue?
The whole plant looks blue-green from a waxy coating, with narrow stem leaves in opposite pairs that clasp the stem. Flowers are 14–20 mm long, in clusters paired up the stem, with violet to reddish purple lines inside and a sterile stamen with yellow hairs. White Beardtongue has white to light pink flowers, and Low Larkspur has a spur pointing back from the flower.
When does it bloom?
May and June.
Where does it grow?
Open prairies and sandhills in western South Dakota, in well-drained sandy loam, sand or gravel, in full sun and dry to medium-dry conditions.
Other flowers to compare
Sources: SDSU Open PRAIRIE: Penstemon angustifolius (R. Neil Reese); Flora of North America: Penstemon angustifolius; SDSU Open PRAIRIE: Penstemon albidus (R. Neil Reese); GRIN-Global taxonomy, ILRI genebank: Penstemon angustifolius; The Prairie Ecologist: Photo of the Week, May 12, 2017 (Nebraska); FHWA, Roadside Use of Native Plants: South Dakota; Culturally Important Plants of the Lakota (Black Elk and Flying By, Sitting Bull College, 1998), filed with the South Dakota PUC; EPPO Global Database: Penstemon angustifolius; SDSU Open PRAIRIE: Delphinium bicolor (for the Low Larkspur comparison).