Penstemon attenuatus
Plantaginaceae
Taper-Leaved Penstemon
Clumps to 2 ft. across. Stems erect. Leaves in basal rosette deep green, 2–4 in. long, oval to lance-shaped, entire, tips pointed, stem leaves reduced in size. Flowers in whorled clusters blue or purple to pale yellow or white, no guidelines, few white hairs on floor of the throat. Grows on open slopes and in meadows and wooded areas. Subsp. palustris with very short, deep blue flowers grows in marshes in Blue Mountains. Similar P. spatulatus is only 4–10 in. tall, has darker blue guidelines inside flower, and is found only at higher elevations of Wallowa Mountains.
- Rarity: Locally Common
- Flowering Time: Early Summer, Mid Summer, Late Summer
- Flower Form: 5 petals, 2 lips (Scrophulariaceae)
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Height: 1–2 feet
- Habitat: Meadow, Shrub-Steppe
- Found In: Blue Mountains, N Cascades NP, Wallowa Mountains
- Native: Yes
