Tall white beardtongue is a clump-forming perennial in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae) that can be found in the mountains of NC. It grows up to 5 feet tall in prairies, wood margins, and open woods of eastern and central USA. In late spring to early summer, tall clusters of showy white tubular flowers appear that attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. The specific epithet was unexplained but presumably suggests a resemblance to foxglove ( Digitalis spp.) This plant adapts easily to cultivation and prefers well-drained, moist to dry loamy soils and tolerates clay soil if it is well-drained. Plant in full sun to light shade in small groups in the native/pollinator garden, naturalized areas or borders. Despite the specific epithet, this plant is not foxglove ( Digitalis spp.) and lacks the toxicity associated with foxglove. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: It has no serious disease or pest problems. More information on Penstemon .
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'penstemon-digitalis'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 57-attribute toolbox scrape.
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.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
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
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Oblong
Leaf margin
Entire; Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Basal leaves are oval, 2-6 inches long with entire margins. Stem leaves are up to 5 inches long, lance-shaped to oblong, finely toothed and shiny green.
Flower color
Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Lipped; Tubular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
1 in. white or purple-tinged 2-lipped tubular flowers in a terminal cluster. The flower tube is abruptly swollen in the middle. Flowers bloom from May to July.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Oval seed capsules, each containing numerous seeds from July to August.
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
Slender, smooth green to purple-tinged stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central and Eastern USA
Distribution
AL , AR , CT , DC , DE , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , NC , NE , NH , NJ , NY , OH , OK , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , VA , VT , WI , WV
Wildlife value
This plant attracts birds, hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Members of the genus Penstemon support the following specialized bee: Osmia (Melanosmia) distincta.