Eastern smooth beardtongue
Penstemon laevigatus
Plantaginaceae


Landscape Uses:

Wildflower gardens.

Ecological Restoration Notes:

Availability:
Available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description:
Wildflower 1-3 feet tall with finely-toothed leaves and small white to light purple flowers along the stem.
Height:
Typically 1-3 feet in height.
Growth Rate:
Range:
Eastern United States from Pennsylvania south to Jackson, Gadsden, and Gulf counties and scattered west to Louisiana.
Habitats:
Meadows and wooded bottomlands
Soils:
Moist to seasonally wet, sandy soils without humus.
Nutritional Requirements:
Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance:
Moderate to low; requires moist to wet soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements:
Light to moderate shade.
Flower Color:
White to light purple.
Flower Characteristics:
Showy.
Flowering Season:
May and June.
Fruit:
Wildlife and Ecology:
Horticultural Notes:
Comments:
We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page.


Lilly Anderson-Messec via her Instagram account @lilliumbyrd.