NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Penstemon australis

Eustis Lake Beardtongue, Southern Beardtongue, Sandhill Beardtongue

Scientific Name:	Penstemon australis
Genus:	Penstemon
Species Epithet:	australis
Common Name:	Eustis Lake Beardtongue, Southern Beardtongue, Sandhill Beardtongue
Plant Type	Herb/Wildflower
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Plantaginaceae (Plantain Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Invasive Status:	^(*Key)
Size:	1-3 ft.
Bloom Color(s):	Pink, Violet
Light:	Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Dry, Moist
Bloom Time:	May, June, July
Growing Area:	Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	Sandhills, flatwoods, dry hammocks, dry sandy roadsides. Fairly common to common in the southern half of the NC Coastal plain, including the Sandhills region, where it is probably more numerous than elsewhere; uncommon in the northern parts, except rare to absent in the northeast. Fairly common in the southeastern Piedmont, but rare to uncommon in the central and far northern portions. Also an isolated record from Polk County in the far southwestern Piedmont.
Leaf Arrangement:	Opposite
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Simple
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Highest Wildlife Value
Landscape Value:	Recommended and Available
State Rank:	S4: Apparently secure ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G5 - Secure ^(*Key)
Flowers grow in slender, loose panicles. Stems and slender opposite leaves are covered with fine hair. Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, Chesterfield County, SC Will Stuart
Blossoms are few in number, slender, and pale lavender. The upper 2 lobes are strongly reflexed and the lower 3 lobes extend well beyond the upper lobes. Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, Chesterfield County, SC Will Stuart
5-lobed tubular blossoms of Penstemon australis are covered with fine hairs. The surface of the protruding lower lobes are pale and marked with purple lines. Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, Chesterfield County, SC Will Stuart
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record