FNPS Plant Database

Penstemon multiflorus

manyflower beardtongue
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter, FNPS
  • Photo by: Eleanor Dietrich, Magnolia Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

manyflower beardtongue

Synonym(s):

Penstemon digitalis var. multiflorus

Genus species:

Penstemon multiflorus

Family:

Plantaginaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Flower

Size:

1.5–3 ft tall by 2–3 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Blooms spring-fall. Dies back in winter to few (or no) basal leaves

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

From cuttings and seeds, will also slowly spread outward by producing "pups". Seeds are available through the Florida Wildflowers Growers Cooperative.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Not wet but not extremely dry -to- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Soil pH:

6.1–7.8

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars, Hummingbirds

Larval host to Baltimore checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton) Attracts bees.

Said by Bok Tower to sometimes attract hummingbirds. Seeds likely dispersed by wind.

Native Habitats:

Dry flatwoods, sandhill, ruderal areas. Well-drained upland habitats

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

This species is almost endemic to Florida. Its range overlaps into southern Georgia and southeastern Alabama. The range includes all of Florida though it is only going to occur where soil, drainage, and fire conditions are appropriate.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

BONAP Plant Atlas. (2014). Range Map: Penstemon multiflorus. ( https://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Penstemon%20multiflorus.png ). Accessed 2026. Biota of North America Program, Chapel Hill, NC.


Florida Wildflower Foundation. (2025). Flower Friday: Manyflower beardtongue. ( https://flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-penstemon-multiflorus/ ). Accessed 2026. Florida Wildflower Foundation, Maitland.


Gann, G.D, C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Pensmult ). Accessed 2026. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, Florida.


Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. (1999). Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P, B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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