The Genus name comes from the Greek words penta meaning five and stemon meaning stamen in reference to each flower having five stamens (four are fertile and one is sterile). Penstemons are commonly called beardtongues because the unusual sterile stamen contained in each flower has a tuft of small hairs. The plants require well drained soil and prefer full sun to part shade.

From rosettes of basal leaves that are clustered together over winter one or more flowering stalks emerge during the spring. Growing to about 3′ tall each stem bears tubular white to pale pink flowers in a panicle at the top. Sometimes there are fine lines of violet within the corolla that direct visiting insects to the nectar.

The inflorescence eventually turns brown developing many seeds & flops over spreading the small seeds. The tubular flowers attract long- tongued bees, including honeybees, bumblebees, Miner Bees, Mason Bees and large Leaf-Cutting bees. Butterflies and Hummingbirds also visit the flowers.