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Nodding Beardtongue

Penstemon laxiflorus

Other common name(s):

Nodding Penstemon, Loose-flowered Penstemon, Loose-flowered Beardtongue

Family:

Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands
Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous

Height

1
to
2
ft.

Spread

1
to
2
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Acid, Well Drained, Dry

Light Requirement

Part Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Pink

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Nectar, Pollen

Wildlife Benefit

Nectar Insects, Hummingbirds, Bees

Maintenance

Low maintenance. Makes a nice addition to a woodland or edge of a meadow garden. Trim plants back after bloom to keep tidy. Grows in Acid soils of the eastern half of Texas. in sandy open woods and prairies. But may want to break of old seed heads in spring. May self seed, but not aggressively. Propgagation: Seed.

Comments

Blooms March-June. White to pale lavender, sometimes tinged pink, with reddish purple nectar guides. Narrow opposite leaves. Attracts: hummingbirds and nectar insects.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym(s): Penstemon australis ssp. laxiflorus, Penstemon australis var. ameles

References

1) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=33934#null, 2) https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Penstemonlaxiflorus.png, 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=pela10, 3) https://warcapps.usgs.gov/PlantID/Species/Details/4024, 4) https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu/main.php?pg=show-taxon.php&family=&plantname=Penstemon+laxiflorus&habitat=

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Contact a local Chapter

State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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