Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Perennial
Origin
South-Central United States
-
Types
Penstemon digitalis, Penstemon barbatus, Penstemon heterophyllus
-
Number of Varieties
20050
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Rocky areas
Cold Regions, Temperate Regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-84-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
8-1
Sunset Zone
No Available
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17
Habit
Clump-Forming
Cushion/Mound-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm20.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.50 cm27.90 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Purple
Blue, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Purple
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Purple
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Purple
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long linear and narrow
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
-
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Late Spring
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
From bulbs
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season
Average Water Needs, Keep ground moist, Water more in summer
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, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, as it is a flowering plant, use high phosphorous content fertilizer
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Butterflies
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Black Dyes
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
-
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON cobaea
Polemonium caeruleum
Common Name
Beardtongue
Jacob's Ladder
In Hindi
Beardtongue
Jacob's Ladder
In German
Bartfaden
Jacob's Ladder
In French
beardtongue
Jacob's Ladder
In Spanish
beardtongue
Jacob's Ladder
In Greek
Beardtongue
Jacob's Ladder
In Portuguese
Beardtongue
Jacob's Ladder
In Polish
Beardtongue
Jacob's Ladder
In Latin
ursus lingua
Jacob's Ladder
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Ericales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Polemoniaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Polemonium
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
26140
1
27800
👆🏻