Penstemon venustus
Gerald D. Carr

Flora of Oregon, draft

[ in prep. ]

[This taxon will be assessed for treatment in volume 3 of Flora of Oregon, which is not yet published.]

Gardening with Natives

Elegant penstemon is a woody subshrub with an alluring presence that occurs in Oregon’s northeast corner along the Columbia Basin and in the Blue and Wallowa mountains. This species arises from a strong taproot and often grows in open areas and dry, rocky slopes of forest and shrub steppe habitats. Elegant penstemon produces showy clusters of distinctly-lipped, lavender to purple-colored flowers that spring from the axils of the upper leaves, you’ll also find the inside of the mouth of each flower is covered in long white hairs. Not only is this fabulous perennial a great choice for beautification of the native garden, but it also attracts native bees and can even be grown for erosion control. This species can grow up 80 cm.

Photo images

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Herbarium specimens

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