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Penstemon australis Small. Southern Beardtongue, Sandhill Beardtongue. Phen: May-Jul; Jul-Aug. Hab: Longleaf pine sandhills, pine flatwoods, dry hammocks, dry sandy roadsides, woodland margins. Dist: Se. VA south to c. peninsular FL, west to s. and wc. AL, primarily on the Coastal Plain, but not uncommon westward into the Piedmont and lower Mountains, and extending in the interior into c. TN.

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Synonymy ⓘ: = Fl6, FNA17, K1, K3, K4, S, Clements, Baskin, & Baskin (1998), Estes (2012), Pennell (1935); = Penstemon australis Small ssp. australis – Bennett (1963); < Penstemon australis Small – C, F, G, RAB, Va, W, WH3

Links to other floras: = Penstemon australis - FNA17

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Wetland Indicator Status:

  • Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACU
  • Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACU

Heliophily ⓘ: 7

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image of plant© Alan Cressler: Penstemon australis, Talbot County, Georgia 2 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Alan Cressler: Penstemon australis, Easter Plantation, Brooks County, Georgia 1 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Will Stuart | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Will Stuart | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Bruce A. Sorrie | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Radford, Ahles and Bell | Original Image ⭷

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Horticultural Information

NCBG trait

Intro: Erect perennial of sandhills, flatwoods, dry hammocks and dry sandy roadsides.

Stems: Stems 1-several (not branched above the base), reddish-purple, usually hairy.

Leaves: Leaves opposite, sessile, lance-shaped, to 4 in. long, somewhat thick-firm, vaguely coarsely toothed, smooth to minutely hairy.

Inforescence:

Flowers: Flowers in a moderately compact, terminal panicle, with branches angled upward; pink to lavender-purple; to 1 in. long; bilaterally symmetric; tubular and with 2 lips, the upper 2-lobed and slightly shorter than the lower, which is 3 lobed. Corolla throat white with purple lines and a barely protruding yellow-bearded "tongue." Flower parts--corolla, calyx, stalks and inflorescence branches--are often covered with glandular hairs.

Fruits:

Comments: Identification of Penstemon species is difficult due to variations in flower characters such as color, patterning, relative length of parts, and degree of constriction/dilation of the corolla tube.

Height: 8-28 in.

plant sale text:

bloom table text:

description: Erect perennial of sandhills, flatwoods, dry hammocks and dry sandy roadsides.

stems: Stems 1-several (not branched above the base), reddish-purple, usually hairy.

leaves: Leaves opposite, sessile, lance-shaped, to 4 in. long, somewhat thick-firm, vaguely coarsely toothed, smooth to minutely hairy.

inflorescence:

flowers: Flowers in a moderately compact, terminal panicle, with branches angled upward; pink to lavender-purple; to 1 in. long; bilaterally symmetric; tubular and with 2 lips, the upper 2-lobed and slightly shorter than the lower, which is 3 lobed. Corolla throat white with purple lines and a barely protruding yellow-bearded "tongue." Flower parts--corolla, calyx, stalks and inflorescence branches--are often covered with glandular hairs.

fruits:

comments: Identification of Penstemon species is difficult due to variations in flower characters such as color, patterning, relative length of parts, and degree of constriction/dilation of the corolla tube.

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: southeastern United States