Penstemon grinnellii var. scrophularioides

This Penstemon grows in the chaparral in the California coast ranges from Monterey county north to the San Francisco Bay area and in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains ranging into the pinyon juniper woodland. In some areas it can form colonies of fifty or more plants making a show in spring or early summer. This Penstemon grinnellii looks a great deal like Penstemon spectabilis, but then again, different. The southern form of P. grinnellii looks more like Penstemon palmeri, with a different flower. Penstemon palmeri, P. spectabilis and P. grinnellii seem to be part of a super penstemon species that moves from one form to another across the state. Plant them all in a garden with sages and you'll have a wild place full of color and life. You'll also have fits figuring out what is what, but the birds and butterflies don't care.