Pineneedle Beardtongue
Penstemon pinifolius
Family: Plantaginaceae
Perennial plant growing 1-2’ tall (with blooms). Evergreen, though plants may need to be cut back occasionally. Red tubular flowers appear in summer.
Full to part sun, moderate water with good drainage, hardy to -30°F. Cut back as needed.
Pollinated by hummingbirds, and nectar seeking insects.
Photo by Teague Embrey, SEINET
Penstemon pinifolius on iNaturalist
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 pinifolius refers to the plants having pine-like or needle-like leaves.
Found above 5,000 ft in the rocky uplands of Arizona, New Mexico, Sonora, and Chuihuahua.