Penstemon cobaea var. purpureus

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Penstemon cobaea var. purpureus

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Kemper Code: E530

Common Name: dew flower
Zone: 5 to 8
Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Missouri Native: Yes
Native Range: Central United States
Height: 1 to 3 feet
Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet
Bloom Time: May Bloom Data
Bloom Color: Purple
Sun: Full sun
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Low

Plant Culture and Characteristics

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Uses:		Wildlife:	Flowers:	Leaves:	Fruit:
Hedge	Suitable as annual	Attracts birds	Has showy flowers	Leaves colorful	Has showy fruit
Shade tree	Culinary herb	Attracts	Has fragrant flowers	Leaves fragrant	Fruit edible
Street tree	Vegetable	hummingbirds	Flowers not showy	Good fall color	Other:
Flowering tree	Water garden plant	Attracts	Good cut flower	Evergreen	Winter interest
Gr. cover (<1')	Will naturalize	butterflies	Good dried flower		Thorns or spines

General Culture:

Easily grown in average, dry to medium, well-drained soils in full sun. Prefers somewhat dry, calcareous soils. Avoid wet, poorly-drained soils.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

Penstemon cobaea var. purpureus has uniformly purple flowers whereas the species, Penstemon cobaea (see L520), has white to pale lilac flowers. Var. purpureus is an uncommon, clump-forming, Missouri-native perennial which occurs only on certain limestone glades in the area of the White River and its tributaries in the southern Missouri Ozarks. Typically grows 1-2.5' tall. Features loose, terminal panicles of violet-purple to rose-purple tubular flowers (to 2" long) atop erect, rigid, downy stems. Flowers bloom in mid-spring and are somewhat larger than many of the other species of penstemon. Downy, clasping, lance-shaped upper leaves. Penstemon in Greek means five stamens (four are fertile and one is sterile). Penstemons are sometimes commonly called beard tongues because the sterile stamen has a tuft of small hairs. Var. purpureus is sometimes commonly called purple beard tongue.

Problems:

No serious insect or disease problems. Root rot can occur in wet, poorly-drained soils.

Uses:

A rare plant for limestone rock gardens, native plant gardens or borders.