Manyflowered Beardtongue
By LYNN ARTZ, DAVID RODDENBERRY, and SANDY TEDDER
Manyflowered beardtongue (Penstemon multiflorus) charms with its many showy white flowers in summer. Each tubular 2-lipped flower has black anthers and a protruding hairy filament resembling a fuzzy tongue. Also called white beardtongue, the flowers may be slightly rosy or lavender at times. Found almost solely in Florida, manyflowered beardtongue occurs naturally in dry pinewoods, sandhills, and well-drained uplands in much of the state. This long-lived perennial grows 1½ to perhaps 4 feet tall (counting the flowers) in full sun and dry sandy soil but is not salt tolerant. It is a larval host for the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly, attracts many native bees, and hummingbirds may visit. It spreads slowly through seeds and “pups” at its base. Manyflowered beardtongue is blooming now in the northwest garden at Sopchoppy Depot Park.