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Scarlet Bugler

Penstemon centranthifolius

Slender wands of narrow, brilliant red tubular flowers rise from blue-gray foliage, built for hummingbird pollination. A chaparral gem for hot, fast-draining ground. Penstemons can accumulate toxic levels of selenium from seleniferous soils — a real, well-documented poisoning risk (especially to horses) that varies unpredictably by site, not a garden food plant.

Family

Plantaginaceae

Type

shrub

Lifespan

perennial

Height

2–4 ft

Spacing

1–1.5 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

neutral, alkaline

Bloom

April, May, June, July

Bloom colors

red

Wildlife value

pollinators, hummingbirds

Caterpillar hosts

~8 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

border

Native states

CA