Beard Tongue Penstemon smallii
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- PEN-stem-on SMAL-ee-eye
- Description
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Small's Beardtongue is an herbaceous perennial that blooms for up to four weeks, much longer than other eastern penstemons, and may repeat bloom during the season. It occurs naturally in places that are in shade for half the day, but also tolerates full sun. It is a popular flower in mountainous regions of the South, being a small plant in the Penstemon family that does well in dry conditions. It is short-lived (2-3 seasons) but reseeds close around. Purple stems bear rounded purple-veined leaves up to 6 inches long. Pink to purple tubular flowers with purple-striped, white throats appear in early summer.
The native habit of this plant includes wood margins, exposed or shaded cliffs & banks.
This plant was selected as the 1984 NC Wildflower of the Year, a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina.
Seasons of Interest:
Blooms: Summer Nut/Fruit/Seed: Late summer
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Backyard Grouping Pollinator Garden- Full Sun Foundation Planting- West Side of House Pollinator Garden- Partial Shade Foundation Planting- West Side of House
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Penstemon
- Species:
- smallii
- Family:
- Plantaginaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Wildlife Value:
- It is a host plant for the Common Buckeye butterfly. Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to its blooms.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- This plant is moderately resistant to damage from deer.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 4 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herb
- Native Plant
- Perennial
- Wildflower
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Texture:
- Coarse
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- NC Region:
- Mountains
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8b, 8a
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Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Description:
- Fruit displays in July.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Pink
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Tubular
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Numerous, tube-shaped, dark-pink, white-throated flowers that are borne on upright, branched stalks up to 2 1/2 ft. high. Differing from other eastern penstemons, the flowering branches extend down into the axils of the leafy stems, giving the plant a bushy. Flowers bloom from May to June.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The shiny, opposite leaves have attractive, dark veins and clasping, heart-shaped bases. The basal rosette of leaves turns reddish-bronze in the winter.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Hummingbirds
- Pollinators
- Small Mammals
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Dry Soil
