The beautiful Beardtongues

They bloom in shades of blue over the deserts, forests, and meadows of Sisters.

In the world of common names, some local wildflowers lean into a little poetry with titles like "Fairy Slipper," "Blazing Star," and "Spring Gold." Common names for plants can be both illustrative or confusing. There are many flowers called "Spring Beauty." Some plants have multiple common names. But how did a group of delicate wild blooms end up with the strange common name of "Beardtongues?"

The answer can be found in the flower. The scientific name for this group of plants is "Penstemon," which is derived from the Greek words "penta" (five) and "stemon" (stamen). This describes the flower's five stamens, which are the male parts of a flower that produce pollen. In Penstemons, one of the five stamens is sterile, looks different than the others, and is often covered with hairs. To some it resembled a hairy tongue surrounded by a lip-shaped flower or "Beardtongue."

Penstemons are the largest genus of flowering plants found only in North America. The Native Plant Society of Oregon counts 46 Penstemon species as native to Oregon. Their beauty inspired devotees to form the American Penstemon Society to study penstemons in the wild and propagate and grow them in gardens. Many species increase in abundance after wildfires and are a favorite of bees.

If you are enjoying learning more about our native wildflowers it's helpful to start learning scientific or Latin names. Here are a few of the most common penstemon species you may see in our ponderosa pine or mixed conifer forests, meadows, shrub-steppes or subalpine areas.

Penstemon fruticosus, or the shrubby penstemon, are a spectacular sight in full bloom on roadcuts and rock cliffs near Whychus Creek. This penstemon forms mats or little penstemon shrubs. The flowers are large and lavender to blue-purple, and have 2 deep folds on the lower lip of the flower. The leaves have edges like a serrated knife and pointy tips.

Penstemon speciosus, or the Royal or Showy penstemon, is a sturdy beauty with large flowers in shades of light to deep blue, lavender, or purple. The flowers usually have white throats and are often mostly on one side of the stem. Leaves are smooth, lance-shaped, and clasp the stem a bit at their base. They are often found in dry sandy soils.

Penstemon humilis, or the lowly penstemon, is a common sight in ponderosa pine forests and sage brush deserts. It has deep blue flowers with shadings of pink or purple and small spade-shaped leaves at the base. Have you ever rubbed the whitish bloom off a ripe plum? The bluish-green leaves of this humble penstemon have a little whitish bloom on them. This is called "glaucous" in technical botany terms. Leaves are arranged in a "basal rosette" or cluster around the base of the plant, in the shape of a rose.

Penstemon euglaucus, or the Glaucous penstemon, can form a ground cover in moist, mixed conifer forest openings in the Metolius basin or the Three Sisters Wilderness, especially after fires. The leaves have the same bluish-green bloom as Penstemon humilis, giving this species its name. It also has a basal rosette of leaves, but the leaves are oval to lance-shaped. The flowers are deep blue with a pale-yellow beard (remember the beardtongue?).

Penstemon cinicola, or ash penstemon is found at higher elevations growing in dry sandy soil. It is common near Three Creek Lake. Its leaves are smooth and green without powdery bloom or hairs, a botanical characteristic called "glabrous." The leaves are linear, folded lengthwise, and curved backwards. Flowers are blue-purple in color, and hairless except for hairs on the floor of the mouth and on the beardtongue.

Penstemon peckii, or Peck's penstemon, is a rare species found only in the Sisters area, in moist places in dry forests and meadows near the Metolius River or Whychus Creek. Although some Peck's penstemon flowers come in shades of blue, flower color is not much help in identifying this delicate beauty because the plant has 7 genetically determined color morphs ranging from blues to purples to pink to even white. A good characteristic is the lack of leaves around the base of the stem. If you feel the base, it is almost woody. The flowers have tiny sticky hairs, a character called "glandular."

No matter what we call them, the Beardtongues or penstemons are a fascinating collection of wildflowers worth seeking out on your next ramble in your neighborhood or your National Forests.