Species page

Scarlet Penstemon

Penstemon triflorus var. triflorus var. var. triflorus

Some consider this to be the most beautiful wildflower in the Hill Country. This particular botanical variety of scarlet penstemon is found in the wild nowhere else in the world and thus is said to be “endemic to the Edwards Plateau”; it is common only in the southern part of that region. Deer and goats seem to love it, so it is now often restricted to highway right-of-ways. Flower color is quite variable, ranging from pale pink to brilliant scarlet, but almost always there are darker lines inside the “throat” of the flower. It blooms in the spring.