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Penstemon confertus

Common name:	Yellow Penstemon	Family:	Scrophulariaceae
Author:	Douglas.	Botanical references:	60, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Western N. America.
Habitat:	Fairly moist open or wooded places, often in meadows or by streams, in lowland and foothills to moderate elevations in the Rockies[60]. Dry sandy pinewoods[233].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	P. congestus[B,P] P. pachyphyllus ssp. congestus[B,P] P. pachyphyllus var. congestus[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Lesser Yellow Beardtongue [B], Thickleaf Beardtongue [P], Yellow Penstemon [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	confertus = crowded
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Scrophulariales. Figwort family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 3. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Tea.

A tea-like beverage is made by boiling the dried leaves and stems for a short time[161, 177, 183, 257]. If made too strong, it can have a purgative effect on the body[257].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Purgative Salve Stomachic.

A strong decoction of the root is purgative[257].
A decoction of the outer bark has been used in the treatment of stomach troubles[257].
The roasted and powdered stems and leaves have been used as a dressing on sores, cuts and wounds[257].

Other Uses

Dye.

The flowers can be boiled and then rubbed on items to give them an indelible blue colouring[257].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in ordinary rich garden soils so long as they are well-drained[1]. Succeeds in dry soils. Requires a position in full sun[188].
Very cold hardy, but some protection from winter wet is beneficial for this plant[1]. Plants are evergreen in mild winters[233].

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring.
Alternatively, the seed can be sown in early summer in a greenhouse, the seedlings overwintered in the greenhouse and then planted out in the following spring[1].
Division in autumn[111].
Cuttings can be taken throughout the growing season, though August/September is best[1].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Penstemon pachyphyllus var. congestus (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Scrophulariaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[60] Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955
A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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