Bloomipedia
Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
Photo: Bill Keim via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

Foxglove beardtongue

Penstemon digitalis

Native in the lower 48

Foxglove beardtongue is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 6 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.

35states
6of our state lists
17,638U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio

Quick look

Penstemon digitalis is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. The flowers are white and are borne in summer. According to Francis W. Pennell it is a native of the Mississippi basin and its occurrences in Canada and the eastern United States are introductions. Because of this Penstemon digitalis is the most widespread species of Penstemon east of the Mississippi River.

  • It belongs to the Plantaginaceae family. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 35 states. USDA PLANTS
  • NatureServe lists it as native to Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas and Iowa. NatureServe
  • NatureServe lists it as not native to New Jersey. NatureServe
  • In Illinois, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. iNaturalist
  • In Ohio, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. iNaturalist
  • USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as late spring. USDA PLANTS
  • USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 4 ft. USDA PLANTS
  • iNaturalist has 2,279 research-grade sightings of it in Illinois, ranking #83 among the 109 flowers on our Illinois list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 2,097 research-grade sightings of it in Ohio, ranking #85 among the 109 flowers on our Ohio list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 941 research-grade sightings of it in New Jersey, ranking #99 among the 110 flowers on our New Jersey list. iNaturalist

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,908 records)
Bloom time in each of our 6 states
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
IllinoisNativeMay–June2,279
OhioNativeMay–June2,097
New JerseyIntroducedMay–July941
MissouriNativeMay–June922
ArkansasNativeMay–June549
IowaNativeMay–June309

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA)
Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
NatureServe global
G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
Illinois
Not listed Not on Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Illinois. IL E&T checklist 2025
Ohio
Not listed Not on Ohio endangered and threatened plants (Ohio Adm. Code 1501:18-1-03, eff. Dec. 26, 2024). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Ohio. OAC 1501:18-1-03
New Jersey
Not listed Not on New Jersey Endangered Plant Species List (N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in New Jersey. N.J.A.C. 7:5C-5.1
Missouri
Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe: S5, secure in Missouri. 3 CSR 10-4.111
Arkansas
No list Arkansas has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Arkansas ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Arkansas.
Iowa
Not listed Not on Iowa endangered, threatened and special concern plants (Iowa Admin. Code r. 571-77.3). NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Iowa. IAC 571-77.3
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: NE (S1), RI (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. NC State Extension

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records foxglove beardtongue in 35 states plus Washington, D.C.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Illinois counties with USDA records: Adams, Alexander, Bond, Boone, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Champaign, Christian, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Cook, Crawford, Cumberland, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Franklin, Fulton, Gallatin, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Johnson, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, LaSalle, Lake, Lawrence, Livingston, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Mason, Massac, McDonough, Menard, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Ogle, Peoria, Perry, Piatt, Pike, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Rock Island, Saline, Sangamon, Scott, Shelby, St. Clair, Union, Vermilion, Wabash, Washington, Wayne, White, Whiteside, Will, Williamson, Winnebago, Woodford.

Ohio counties with USDA records: Adams, Ashland, Ashtabula, Athens, Auglaize, Belmont, Brown, Butler, Carroll, Champaign, Clark, Clermont, Clinton, Columbiana, Coshocton, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Darke, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Franklin, Fulton, Gallia, Geauga, Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Huron, Jackson, Jefferson, Knox, Lake, Lawrence, Licking, Logan, Lorain, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Medina, Meigs, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Morrow, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pickaway, Pike, Portage, Richland, Ross, Sandusky, Scioto, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Union, Vinton, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wood, Wyandot.

New Jersey counties with USDA records: Bergen, Burlington, Cape May, Essex, Gloucester, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, Warren.

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Sources