Heller's Penstemon
Penstemon triflorus, Snapdragon or Figwort Family: ( Scrophulariaceae ), Heller's Penstemon. Also called: Heller's Beardtongue, Hill Country Penstemon, Scarlet Penstemon.
An evergreen, bushy, perennial, whose pairs of dark - green, glossy, leaves occur opposite each other along the stem. Its brilliant pink to red flowers are about 2 inches long and there are darker lines inside the "throat" of the flower. The two-lipped flowers also occur in pairs.
Height: About 1 1/2 to 2 feet in height. The branching flower spikes can reach 2 feet tall!
Flowers: The flower is 1 - 2 inches in size, funnel-shaped, with short round lobes. The corolla is about 3/4 inch long, glandular and hairy on the outside. It has a broad upper corolla with a 2 - lobed lip, bent upward. The lower corolla lip is 3 - lobed and bent downward. There are 5 stamens, the fifth is sterile but bearded at the tip.
Stalk: Several erect, sparsely leaved stems with pinkish-lavender, bilaterally symmetrical flowers in a long, open, interrupted cluster.
Blooming Time: April - June.
Leaves: Green to blue - green, fleshy, about 2 - 5 inches long, lanceolate, without stalks, smooth, those at the midstem are broadest at the base.
Found: Found in limestone soil endemic to the Edward's Plateau in Texas.
Elevation: 100 and 3,000 feet. Will grow in low elevation xeriscape gardens.
Habitat: Partial to full shade in rocky limestone, well-drained soil. An ideal landscape plant in Arizona.
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