Plant · P-1112

Gulf Coast Penstemon

Penstemon tenuis

Gulf Coast Penstemon is a slender perennial wildflower that sends up erect flowering stems up to about 30 inches tall, topped with clusters of bell-shaped purple flowers with white throats from spring into early summer. It grows naturally in damp, open alluvial ground along Gulf Coast prairies and marshes, in full sun to part shade and evenly moist clay, clay loam, sandy loam or sandy soil, and self-sows freely into dense colonies where soil stays consistently moist. Its abundant nectar draws hummingbirds and native bees, and the cut stems hold up well in a vase. Native to southeastern Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.