Scientific Family
Scrophulariaceae
Other common names
Arizona penstemon
canyon penstemon
rosy desert beardtongue
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
20 to 40 inches
Riparian
No
Forb or subshrub, 20 to 40 inches tall, stems smooth, covered with whitish or bluish waxy coating.
Leaves toothed with upper leaves fused entirely around stem. Flower stalk leafy throughout. Petals, pink or purple, nearly regular with tube twice as long as sepals, throat of petals moderately enlarged without hairs at the lower lip.
Habitat
Found in gravelly, dry soils in desert washes, canyon floors, among creosote scrub and pinyon-juniper woodlands.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
2000
High elevation
7000
Flower Characteristics
Stalk 4 to 20 inches. Sepals gland-like, barely covered in short hairs, 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, lobes egg-shaped, gradually taper to a point. Petals pink or purple with yellowish tube, dark lines in the throat, 3/4 to 1 inch long, lobes spreading backwards.
Flower color
Pink or purple
Flower shape
Irregular
Tubular
Yes
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
June
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Stems 20 to 40 inches tall, slender, smooth throughout. Leaves thin, saw-like toothed; basal leaves egg-shaped, up to 3 inches long; lower leaves mostly lance-shaped and attached directly to the stem; the upper leaves are fused around the stem.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Triangular
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaves clasp
Yes
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Oval brown capsule, 1/2 inch long, held by persistent cup-shaped bracts on short stalks. Dividing at maturity between chambers.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Brown