West Virginia ecotype
- Duration: Perennial
- Habit: upright, clumping
- Size: 1 - 3 feet tall, half as wide
- Flowering time: May to July
- Bloom color: Light rosy-pink to lavender-pink, tubular flowers
- Habitat: Dry rocky outcrops, open woodlands, hills and slopes
- Moisture: Average to dry; must be well draining
- Light: Full sun to part sun, adaptable to part shade
- Soils: Rocky, loamy, sandy; does not like dense moisture-retentive organic soil
- Uses: Cottage gardens, hillsides, rock gardens, dry and low pollinator gardens
Penstemon canescens (Eastern gray beardtongue)
Penstemon canescens is known as the eastern gray beardtongue, or the Appalachian beardtongue. This perennial frequently occurs in the Appalachian Mountains and runs east to the coast where it occurs along rocky slopes, ridges, open woodlands, and well-drained sandy or limestone soils.
In late spring to early summer, Penstemon canescens produces showy tubular flowers ranging from pale lavender to light rosy pink, often with darker throat markings. These showy, long-blooming flowers are especially attractive to pollinators, including native bees, bumblebees, and hummingbirds.
Gray beardtongue has a low-maintenance nature and drought tolerance; it does not thrive in heavy compost-laden garden soil and likes things on the lean side. Its natural habitats are often exposed or semi-shaded, giving the plant tolerance for both full sun and partial shade.