Family: Plantaginaceae

Perennial plant growing 1-2’ tall (with blooms). Evergreen, though plants may need to be cut back occasionally. Purple flowers appear spring into early summer.

Full to part sun, moderate water with good drainage, hardy to -30°F. Cut back as needed.

Pollinated by bees, hummingbirds, and nectar seeking insects. Larval hosts for many moths and butterflies including the following:

Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)

Dark Buckeye (Junonia nigrosuffusa)

Anicia checkerspot (Euphydryas anicia ssp. hermosa)

Arachne Checkerspot (Poladryas arachne)

Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona)

owlet moths (family Noctuidae)

geometrid moths (family Geometridae)

hummingbird clearwing moth (Hemaris thysbe)

Many sources mistakenly translate the Latin name Penstemon as meaning “five stamens”, but this is incorrect. The “pen” in Penstemon doesn’t come from penta (five) but from the Latin paene meaning “nearly” or “almost”, while stemon is derived from Greek for “thread”. “Nearly a thread” is a reference to the staminode, which is almost a functional stamen. The species fendleri honors Augustus Fendler (181301883), a Prussian-born natural history collector who worked in the United States.

Photo by Joanne Toler on iNaturalist
Penstemon fendleri on SEINET