Flower profile
Front range beardtongue
Penstemon virens
Front range beardtongue is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Colorado it's most often seen in bloom in May–July.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Colorado
Quick look
Penstemon virens, commonly known as blue mist penstemon, Front Range penstemon, or Green beardtongue, is a common Penstemon in the Front Range foothills in Colorado and Wyoming. The dainty flowers are an ornament to many rocky or sandy area within its range. It is confusingly similar to Penstemon humilis and Penstemon albertinus though the ranges of these plants do not overlap in the wild.
- It belongs to the Plantaginaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) / a subshrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 2 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Colorado. NatureServe
- In Colorado, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–July. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 4,462 research-grade sightings of it in Colorado, ranking #26 among the 110 flowers on our Colorado list. iNaturalist
Front range beardtongue gift ideas
Handmade front range beardtongue gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
-
Placeholder
Front range beardtongue art print
-
Placeholder
Front range beardtongue greeting card
-
Placeholder
Front range beardtongue mug
-
Placeholder
Front range beardtongue earrings
-
Placeholder
Front range beardtongue embroidery pattern
-
Placeholder
Front range beardtongue sticker
When does it bloom?
In Colorado, most flowering sightings come in May–July.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G3 Vulnerable worldwide. NatureServe
- Colorado
- No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in Colorado.
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.
🌿 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 front range beardtongue in 2 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Colorado, Wyoming.
Colorado counties with USDA records: Boulder, Clear Creek, Custer, Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Jefferson, Larimer, Park, Pueblo, Teller.
More Colorado flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PEVI3.
- iNaturalist, Penstemon virens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Penstemon virens (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Penstemon virens (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
- Photo: nbasargin via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.