Penstemon spectabilis var. spectabilis
From California Natives Wiki
Species Name: Penstemon spectabilis
Common Name: Showy or Royal Penstemon
- The most spectacular of the penstemons. A must for any drought tolerant garden. Occasional water lengthens bloom season but may shorten the plant's lifespan. Prune after blooms to promote new growth.
- Plant Family: Scrophulariaceae
- Plant Type: Perennial
- Height by Width: 4' H x 4' W
- Growth Habit: Upright, sometimes sprawling
- Deciduous/Evergreen: Evergreen
- Growth Rate: Fast
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Soil Preference: Well-draining, rocky
- Water Requirements: Drought-tolerant to occasional
- Cold Hardy to: 7,500'
- Flower Season: Spring/Summer
- Flower Color: Blue/violet
- Endangered?: Not listed
- Distribution: Transverse and Peninsular Ranges of Southern California; Mexico
- Natural Habitat: Gravelly and sandy slopes, Banks of washes, Coastal Sage Scrub, Chaparral, Oak Woodland below 7500'
- Care and Maintenance
- History
- Introduced into cultivation in California by Theodore Payne.
- From California Native Plants, Theodore Payne's 1941 catalog: "A magnificent plant growing to a height of 3 to 6 feet. The flowers are in long spikes and are the richest combination of blue and purple. Does best in a rather dry sandy or gravelly soil. Gallon cans, 35c."
- Other Names
- References
- Bornstein, Carol, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien. California Native Plants for the Garden. Los Olivos, CA: Cachuma Press. 2005.
- Links
