Gulf Penstemon

Penstemon tenuis

Also called Gulf Coast Penstemon

Hills guide picknative · Central Texas

Gulf Penstemon is a perennial native to Central Texas that grows 1.5–2.5 ft tall and 1–1.5 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and low water, and handles clay soil. Blooms purple in Mar–Jun. Good for hummingbirds.

Wet ground only. Usually found in wetlands and creek bottoms. It wants reliably moist ground and struggles in a dry upland bed.

Will it grow in your yard?

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From our guide

Village of the Hills

Upright perennial with glossy leaves and spikes of lavender-pink tubular flowers in spring.

Why it works here

One of the few penstemons that accepts clay and part shade rather than demanding rock.

Watch out

Short-lived; let it reseed. Goes dormant in summer heat.

The facts

7 sources

Type: Perennial
Sun: Full sun to part shade (3+ hrs)
Water: Low
Height: 1.5–2.5 ft
Spread: 1–1.5 ft
Bloom: Mar–Jun · purple
Foliage: Semi-evergreen
Soil: Takes clay · recorded on clay, loam, moist, poor drainage, sand
Deer: Moderate — deer may browse it, especially new growth. Flower stalks browsed under pressure.
Wildlife: Supports hummingbirds

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

No Level IV record in the launch area yet. Recorded in these Texas ecoregions:

Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes

26 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

In the Village of the Hills guide, but not on the grower stock lists we read yet. Ask a native-plant nursery.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.