Cleveland's Beardtongue
Penstemon clevelandii
Cleveland's beardtongue lights up the southern California desert in spring with magenta-pink tubes on wiry stems, a hummingbird magnet for hot, rocky slopes.
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1–2.5 ft
- Spacing
- 1–2 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Bloom
- March, April, May
- Bloom colors
- pink
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, hummingbirds, butterflies, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~8 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- foundation
- Native states
- CA
Related native plants
More Penstemon species
- Large Beardtongue (Penstemon grandiflorus)
- Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
- Cobaea Beardtongue (Penstemon cobaea)
- Scarlet Bugler (Penstemon centranthifolius)
- Palmer's Penstemon (Penstemon palmeri)
- Beardlip Penstemon (Penstemon barbatus)