Description
Penstemon digitalis is a clump-forming, Missouri-native perennial which typically grows 3-5′ tall and occurs in prairies, fields, wood margins, open woods and along railroad tracks. Features white, two-lipped, tubular flowers (to 1.25″ long) borne in panicles atop erect, rigid stems. Flowers bloom mid-spring to early summer. Basal leaves are elliptic and stem leaves are lance-shaped to oblong.
Penstemon is sometimes commonly called beard tongue because the sterile stamen has a tuft of small hairs.
‘Husker Red’ typically grows 2-3′ tall. Features white (sometimes with a pink blush), two-lipped, tubular flowers borne in panicles atop erect, rigid stems. Flowers bloom mid-spring to early summer. Leaves are maroon (hence the cultivar name). Basal leaves are elliptic and stem leaves are lance-shaped to oblong. Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year (1996).
