Woodland beardtongue is a perennial herb with a woody base in the plantain (Plantaginaceae) family. It is similar in appearance to penstemons and commonly called the woodland penstemon. It was moved from the Penstemon genus to Nothochelone because of its winged seed. It is native to western North America from British Columbia, Canada to northern California. It grows in mountain forests and has been found at elevations of 4000 - 7500 feet. The woodland beardtongue is found in rocky soils in mixed evergreen forests, cliffs, partially sunny glades in the woods, and forest edges. It prefers partially shaded, moist environments but can tolerate sunny areas and dry rocky soils. It produces erect, finely short-hairy stems 1 - 4 feet tall from a woody crown. The stems have multiple branches with each with a few flowers. It flowers in mid-summer to early fall. Similar to penstemons, it has hairy sepals and 1 to 3-inch fat, glandular, tubular flowers with a two-lobed upper lip and three-lobed lower lip. The flowers are usually pink or purple with hairy staminodes. Unlike penstemons, capsules have widely winged seeds. The leaves are smooth with fine, short hairs on the underside and coarsely toothed edges. Propagation is with seeds or summer stem cuttings. This plant is appropriate for use in the woodland or pollinator northern Pacific garden. It wouldn't be happy in the Southeast USA humidity. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Full plant profile
Growing Conditions
Plant type
Perennial
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The leaves are short-stalked, narrow, and thin. The margins are toothed and the undersides have hairs. They are 1-4 inches long with the lower leaves being shorter.
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Lipped; Tubular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
The flower has hairy sepals and is tubular with a two-lobed upper lip and a three-lobed lower lip. Flowers occur in a loose terminal branched panicle. Individual flowers are 1-2 inches long with hairs on the outside and smooth inside the tube.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The capsules contain small winged seeds
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green
Stem detail
The stem is erect and hairy extending from a woody crown.