Bluestem beardtongue

Description

Penstemon cyanocaulis, the bluestem penstemon or bluestem beardtongue, is a perennial plant in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States.It is a perennial plant growing 10 to 22 inches (25 to 56 cm) tall.Stems are smooth with narrow inversely lanceolate 1 to 6 inches (2.5 to 15.2 cm) leaves.It blooms from April to July.  Dense clusters of tubular, two lipped, 1 to 6 inches (2.5 to 15.2 cm) long, blue to lavender-blue flowers are on elongations of the stem stalks. It can be found in blackbrush scrub, pinyon juniper woodland, and mountain bush communities to 7,200 feet (2,200 m) in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah.