Eastern Smooth Beardtongue

Description

Botanical Name:    Penstemon laevigatus

Common Name:    Eastern Smooth Beardtongue, Appalachian Beardtongue, Eastern Smooth Penstemon, Smooth Penstemon, Smooth Beardtongue, Eastern Penstemon, Eastern Beardtongue, Hairy Penstemon, Hairy Beardtongue

Description:    This is another one of Florida’s beautiful native penstemons. It is the rarest of our penstemons, growing naturally in only two Florida counties.

This long-lived native perennial  is covered with white/pink/lavender flowers from late spring into summer.  Its basal leaves are deep green and flushed with red in the main leaf vein and sometimes along the leaf margins. The basal leaves are semi-evergreen to evergreen.

Providing both nectar and pollen, it attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, honey bees, and native bees. It is especially important for attracting native bees including Little Carpenter Bees, Mason Bees, and Halictid Bees.  One species of Mason bee, Osmia distincta, is an oligolege (specialist pollinator) of Penstemon spp. Host plant to the common buckeye butterfly. This will spread by seeds. The bitter leaves are generally deer resistant. Fast grower to 1-3 feet tall x 2 feet wide. Its native habitat is moist hardwood forests. Grows fine in clay, loam, or sand in well draining but moist soils. It is drought tolerant once established. Put it in the part sun to part shade areas of your garden. It doesn’t like full afternoon sun.

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray.

This plant in 1-gallon containers is 5 – 15″ tall.

Plant Lore:  This plant was selected as the 2002 North Carolina Wildflower of the Year.

Florida Hardiness Zones 8 – 9