# Showy Penstemon

*Penstemon spectabilis*

The flowers undergo a subtle color shift from blue to magenta after pollination, signaling to bees that the nectar cup is empty.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Plantaginaceae › Penstemon
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Chaparral, coastal sage scrub, dry hillsides, and oak woodlands
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- **Range:** Southern California, USA, Baja California, Mexico
- **Size:** 1.0 - 1.8 meters tall
- **Lifespan:** 3-5 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss from urban development, altered wildfire regimes, and displacement by invasive weeds.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and safe to approach. Enjoy photographing its vibrant purple blooms from a safe distance without trampling the surrounding native vegetation. Do not ingest any part of the plant, as some penstemons can accumulate selenium from the soil.

## About

Penstemon spectabilis is a species of penstemon known by the common name showy penstemon . It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in the chaparral, scrub, and woodlands of the coastal mountain ranges.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/e681e627-c70c-4124-89d0-7467753abb70
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/78423
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penstemon spectabilis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/631101466/medium.jpg (Millie Basden, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.