Santa Fe Botanical Garden

Common name: scarlet bugler, scarlet penstemon, beard lip penstemon, pichelitos, jarritos

Family: Plantaginaceae (Plantain)

Distribution: Southwestern United States, Northern Mexico

Habitat: Rocky hillsides, open forests and woodlands

Hardiness: USDA Zone 4 (-30 to -20 °F)

Life form: Herbaceous perennial

Occurrence in New Mexico: New Mexico native plant

Growing Conditions: This is a common penstemon of the middle and upper elevations of Southwestern mesas and mountains, growing on rocky slopes and in open woodlands from Utah and Colorado to Arizona, Texas and Mexico. It is found in rocky or sandy soil, in piñon-juniper woodlands and pine-oak, spruce-fir, and birch-maple forests, at elevations from 4,000-10,000 feet. In New Mexico, the subspecies barbatus grows in pine woodlands and forests of the southwestern mountains; subsp. torreyi is widespread at low to middle elevations of mountains throughout the state; and subsp. trichander grows on dry wooded slopes of northwestern mountains. This species will grow in partial shade. Penstemons need dry, gritty, gravelly or sandy well-drained soils. They are easy to grow in New Mexico and failure is almost always due to excessive moisture after flowering. They grow in soil of low organic content and are short-lived in soil that is too rich. Soil must drain quickly so that the plants’ crowns remain dry. Supplemental water in the first year helps them to become established, but they generally do not need to be watered thereafter. Even during droughts, they should not be watered more than once weekly. In general, penstemons prefer dry soil in winter and some protection from intense winter sun. Like other xerophytic plants, they often die off after 1-3 years after blooming abundantly. Cutting back plants after flowering may increase longevity. A few stems can be left to promote self-seeding.

Description: This upright penstemon grows 2-3 feet tall (occasionally more), and usually has only a few smooth stems. It is easily recognized by its long (up to 6 inches) linear stem leaves with pointed tips. They are paired and unstalked. The basal leaves are broadly lance-shaped. Scarlet-red flowers are produced in 1½-inch-long terminal racemes. The flowers have 2 lips, with the 2-lobed upper lip projecting over the 3-lobed, strongly reflexed lower lip, giving the corolla a “sharkshead” appearance. The lower part of the corolla throat has yellow or white hairs (i.e. barbatus for “beard”). The tips of the anthers have parallel sacs that open only at the distal ends and are indehiscent at the connective where the two halves are joined (seen with a hand lens). Several cultivars have been selected for different flower colors.