About Penstemon smallii A.Heller
Penstemon smallii A.Heller typically blooms in late spring or early summer, producing branched panicles of flowers that range in color from white to purple. Its flowers are inflated and tubular, measuring 2 to 3.5 cm long, with two spreading lips where the lower lip is much longer than the upper. The upper lip has two lobes, the lower lip has three lobes, and the flower’s throat has two strong ridges and abundant bearding. The species’ leaves are serrate, glabrous, generally lanceolate in shape, and have cordate bases. Stem leaves are sessile, arranged oppositely, clasp around the stem, and share the other characteristics listed above. This species is primarily found in the Southern Appalachians of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, and extends across the Ridge and Valley south into Alabama. There is also a disjunct population in Wake County, in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. It generally grows in or around rock outcrops, glades, barrens, bluffs, and rocky slopes, and prefers circumneutral, low-fertility soils. It also occurs less frequently in open rocky woodlands, cliffs, and occasionally in forest openings. It is most often pollinated by bumblebees and wasps.
