Penstemon murrayanus

Murray's Scarlet Beardtongue

This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.

Shop Available Penstemon
2 Reviews
| Ask a Question

Item #: 9343

Zones: 5b to 9b, at least

Dormancy: Evergreen

Height: 72" tall

Culture: Sun

Origin: United States

Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)


Penstemon murrayanus is a superb southern US native perennial from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Starting in mid-May (NC), the 6' tall spikes rise from the small rosette of glossy, silver-gray leaves. Each spike is adorned with 6" long x 3" wide perfoliate leaves (stem runs through the center) and topped with small, bright orange, tubular flowers along the top 2' of the spike, a hummingbird favorite. Our offering of Penstemon murrayanus comes from an Aaron Floden seed collection in Winn Parish, Louisiana, where it grows in dry sandy soils alongside opuntia cactus...good drainage is the key! Note to taxonomists...couldn't we just have used the epithet murrayi instead of murrayanus? What if the poor man's name had been Harry?