Life Span
Perennial
Biennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Tree
Origin
South-Central United States
South-Eastern Asia, Southeastern Asia, China
Types
Penstemon digitalis, Penstemon barbatus, Penstemon heterophyllus
Purple Orchid Tree, White Orchid Tree, Bidi leaf tree
Number of Varieties
20020
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Rocky areas
Forests, Mountain Slopes, Valley
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-89-13
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-9
Sunset Zone
No Available
H1, H2, 9, 10, 11, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
Habit
Clump-Forming
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm760.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.50 cm17.80 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Purple
Light Pink, Magenta, Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Green, Sandy Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Gray Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green, Gray Green, Yellow green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long linear and narrow
Butterfly shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
-
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring
Early Spring, Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
From bulbs
Budding, Grafting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season
Average Water Needs, Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, Water Deeply
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves
Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Apply N-P-K
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
-
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Birds
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Nesting sites for birds, Shadow Tree
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Carminative, Laxative
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
Buds, Flowers, Leaves, Root, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Fibre, Gum, Used as a dye
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON cobaea
BAUHINIA purpurea
Common Name
Beardtongue
Butterfly Tree, Orchid Tree
In Hindi
Beardtongue
Butterfly tree
In German
Bartfaden
Schmetterlings- Baum
In French
beardtongue
arbre de papillon
In Spanish
beardtongue
árbol de la mariposa
In Greek
Beardtongue
δέντρο πεταλούδα
In Portuguese
Beardtongue
árvore borboleta
In Polish
Beardtongue
drzewo Butterfly
In Latin
ursus lingua
Gloria ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Fabales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Fabaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Bauhinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Cercideae
Subfamily
-
Caesalpinioideae
Number of Species
261500
1
27800
👆🏻