Blooms: May-July
Habit: herb
Duration: perennial
Origin: Native
Conservation Status: Abundant; of no concern.

Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades in Washington; Washington south to the Sierras of California, east to northern Wyoming and northern New Mexico.
Habitat: Meadows and moist, open slopes, occasionally on drier slopes with sagebrush, chiefly in the foothills and at moderate elevations in the mountains.

Species Description:

General: Tufted perennial from a woody rhizome, the slender stems 2-7 dm. tall, usually glabrous throughout.
Leaves: Leaves opposite, entire, the basal ones petiolate, oblanceolate, often forming rosettes, up to 15 cm. long and 2 cm. wide; cauline leaves few, well-developed, sessile, not over 10 cm. long and 2 cm. wide.
Flowers: Inflorescence of 1-several dense verticillasters, the flowers spreading at right angles to the stem; calyx 3-7 mm. long, the 5 segments narrowly scarious-margined, tapering to a pointed tip; corolla blue-purple, 11-15 mm. long, bilabiate, the tube expanded, 3-5 mm. wide at the mouth; raised portion of the lower petal bearded; staminode usually bearded at the expanded tip; pollen sacs glabrous, ovate, 0.6-1.0 mm. long, dehiscent throughout and becoming opposite.
Fruits: Capsule 5-6 mm. long.

Subspecies & Varieties:

Penstemon rydbergii A. Nels.

Treated in Flora of the PNW as:

PNW Herbaria Specimens: View list of Penstemon rydbergii specimens in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

WTU Herbarium Specimens: View list of Penstemon rydbergii specimens in the WTU Herbarium database.

Washington Flora Checklist: Penstemon rydbergii treatment.

E-Flora BC: Penstemon rydbergii atlas page.

CalPhotos: Penstemon rydbergii images.

USDA Plants Database: Penstemon rydbergii.