Penstemon whippleanus - Dusky Beardstongue (Scrophulariaceae)

Penstemon whippleanus growing at around 12,000 feet above
sea level in Rocky Mountain National Park

This darkly beautiful wild flower is one of the many species of penstemons that grow throughout the Rocky Mountains.

The plants often have a number of flower spikes and grow in montane, subalpine, and alpine open forests, clearings and on roadsides. Penstemon whippleanus grows up to 20 centimetres in height and is a welcome sight when many of the earlier wildflowers are beginning to die back.

This penstemon can be found in the Rocky Mountain National Park. It flowers late in the season - from the end of summer and into autumn

The specimens on this page were photographed in Rocky Mountain National Park in late August .