This striking perennial is adding colour to the Dry Meadow in front of Cory Lodge.
Penstemon cobaea, or purple beardtongue, originates from prairies, open limestone and rocky bluffs of the southern United States. While hardy, this species resents standing in wet soils, and it is well-suited to conditions in our Dry Meadow. It is a clump-forming perennial with slender leaves and erect panicles of white to deep purple tubular flowers. A member of the plantain family (Plantaginaceae), it is one of 250 species if deciduous, semi-evergreen or evergreen perennials and subshrubs from North and Central America. Species bear two-lipped flowers, whose upper lip is bi-lobed, and whose lower lip is tri-lobed.