Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Tree
Origin
South-Central United States
Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States, Central United States, South-Central United States
Types
Penstemon digitalis, Penstemon barbatus, Penstemon heterophyllus
-
Number of Varieties
2003
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Rocky areas
bottomlands, Depression on prairies, ditches, Floodplains, Riverbanks, stream banks, Swamps
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-84-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
9-1
Sunset Zone
No Available
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm1,220.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.50 cm1,220.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Purple
Yellow, Brown
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Yellow, Light Yellow, Tan
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long linear and narrow
Oval with a pointed tip and fine teeth along their edges
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
-
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
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
Average
Bloom Time
Late Spring
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Wet Site, Pollution, Soil Compaction
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
From bulbs
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season
Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering
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
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves
Prune in the late winter or spring, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Shape and thin as needed
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No need to fertilize every year
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Aphids, Red blotch, Sawfly Larvae
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Pollution, Soil Compaction, Wet Site
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
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
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
-
Allergy
-
Asthma
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Erosion control, Wildlife
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
Whole plant
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Feature Plant, Shade Trees
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON cobaea
BETULA nigra
Common Name
Beardtongue
River Birch
In Hindi
Beardtongue
River Birch
In German
Bartfaden
Fluss Birch
In French
beardtongue
Birch river
In Spanish
beardtongue
river Birch
In Greek
Beardtongue
ποταμός Birch
In Portuguese
Beardtongue
river Birch
In Polish
Beardtongue
Rzeka Birch
In Latin
ursus lingua
Betula
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Fagales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Betulaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Betula
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
2613
1
27800
👆🏻