General: Rosy Pinto Penstemon (Penstemon bicolor var. roseus) is a perennial forb with several tall, upright stems that all arise from the ground, asymmetrical tubular flowers, and a hairy tongue sticking out of each flower (another name for the family is Beardtongue).

The tubular flowers are pink to rosy-red, somewhat bulbous, and with weak or no streaks (bee guides) on the "petals."

Rosy Pinto Penstemon is an uncommon component of desert vegetation communities on dry, well-drained sandy and gravelly sites on desert flats, in and along washes, and on bajadas in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zone where it is considered to be a sensitive species.

See also the other variety of Pinto Beardtongue, the Yellow Pinto Beardtongue (Penstemon bicolor var. bicolor).

Family: Figwort (Scrophulariaceae). Recent genetic research suggests that Penstemon should be included in the Plantaginaceae.

Other Names: Rosy Pinto Beardtongue.

Plant Form: Several tall, upright stems all arising from a tuft of basal leaves on the ground.

Height: Flowering stalk to about 5 feet.

Stems: Round.

Leaves: Lower leaves long, somewhat thickened, generally folded lengthwise, and serrate. Upper leaves on stem opposite, thick; to 4 inches long, triangular, generally clasping around the stem, serrate.

Flowers: Blooms late spring and early summer. Flower tubular and bilaterally symmetrical; glandular; to about 1-inch long. Floral tube pink to rosy-red with 5 lobes ("petals"). Upper lip with 2-lobes, lower lip with 3. "Petals" white to cream without streaks. Anther sacs spreading, opening lengthwise; staminode with many yellow hairs.

Seeds: Fruit: oblong capsule. Seeds: small, black.

Habitat: Dry, well-drained sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils on flats, in and along washes, on bajadas, and on moderate slopes in the lower mountains.

Elevation: About 3,000 to 5,000 feet.

Distribution: Southern California and southern Nevada.

Comments: This species hybridizes with Palmer's Penstemon, and in hybrids, the flower is large like Palmer's, but the color characteristics are those of Pinto.