Scrophulariaceae

Penstemon gairdneri

Gairdner's Penstemon

Mounding from woody base. Stems upright, numerous, with deciduous leaves. Looks like dead sticks in winter with no overwintering rosette. Leaves on stems many, narrow, entire with rounded or pointed tips, bluish with fine gray hairs. Flowers 1/2–3/4 in., lavender-pink to purple, white on inside of tube, hairy beard at mouth of tube. Face of flower, with 5 equal lobes, is more or less flat. Grows on thin, dry, rocky soils, sometimes with sagebrush, to mid elevations.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: Late Spring
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: to 12 inches
• Habitat: Shrub-Steppe, Dry Rocky Sites
• Found In: Great Basin
• Native: Yes