Flower profile

Cobaea beardtongue

Penstemon cobaea

Cobaea beardtongue (Penstemon cobaea) is a flowering plant in the Plantaginaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–May across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Cobaea beardtongue is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 3 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–May.

12states where USDA records it

3Bloomipedia state lists include it

8,077U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas

Quick look

Penstemon cobaea is a flowering plant in the plantain family, commonly known as Cobaea beardtongue, prairie penstemon or foxglove penstemon. The plant is native to the central United States, primarily the Great Plains from Nebraska to Texas, with additional populations in the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas.
From Wikipedia's article Penstemon cobaea, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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 12 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. ^NatureServe
In Texas, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–May. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 7,004 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #96 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 383 research-grade sightings of it in Kansas, ranking #66 among the 151 flowers on our Kansas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 353 research-grade sightings of it in Oklahoma, ranking #102 among the 159 flowers on our Oklahoma list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (402 records)

Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Texas	Native	March–May	7,004
Kansas	Native	few records (14)	383
Oklahoma	Native	few records (17)	353

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G4 Apparently secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Texas. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Kansas: No list Kansas's endangered and threatened list (K.A.R. 115-15-1) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's Kansas ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Kansas.
Oklahoma: No list Oklahoma has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Oklahoma ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oklahoma.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IA (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 cobaea beardtongue in 12 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas.

Texas counties with USDA records: Anderson, Archer, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Brazos, Brown, Burleson, Callahan, Childress, Clay, Coleman, Collin, Collingsworth, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Eastland, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Fayette, Foard, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Grimes, Hamilton, Hays, Hunt, Jackson, Karnes, Kerr, Lamb, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lubbock, Marion, McLennan, Menard, Montgomery, Nolan, Palo Pinto, Parker, Reagan, Robertson, San Saba, Shackelford, Stephens, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Travis, Uvalde, Victoria, Washington, Wichita, Wilbarger, Williamson, Wise, Young.

Kansas counties with USDA records: Allen, Anderson, Barber, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Dickinson, Douglas, Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Finney, Franklin, Geary, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Lincoln, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, McPherson, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pottawatomie, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Smith, Sumner, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson, Woodson.

Oklahoma counties with USDA records: Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Carter, Choctaw, Cleveland, Comanche, Dewey, Garvin, Grady, Greer, Johnston, Kiowa, Logan, Love, Major, Marshall, McClain, McCurtain, Murray, Oklahoma, Osage, Pawnee, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Roger Mills, Seminole, Stephens, Tillman, Tulsa, Woods.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 189 counties across 11 states; the most are in Kansas (64), Texas (63), Oklahoma (32).

Other Penstemon on Bloomipedia (16): Foxglove beardtongue, Whipple's penstemon, Beardlip penstemon, Palmer's penstemon, Front range beardtongue, Firecracker penstemon, Large-flowered beardtongue, Sidebells penstemon, Royal beardtongue, Hot rock penstemon.

More from the Plantaginaceae family (29 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Bird's-eye speedwell, Butter-and-eggs (common toadflax), Purple foxglove, White turtlehead, Heath speedwell, Canada toadflax, Culver's root, Texas toadflax.

More Texas flowers

Pinkladies

Oenothera speciosa

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🌼 Blooms in TX: March–May

Firewheel

Gaillardia pulchella

★ OK state wildflowerNative

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–June

Silverleaf nightshade

Solanum elaeagnifolium

Native

🌼 Blooms in TX: April–September

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PECO4.
iNaturalist, Penstemon cobaea: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Penstemon cobaea (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
Kansas: Kansas noxious weeds (K.A.R. 4-8-44, as amended 2026).
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Noxious Weed Law (2 O.S. § 3-220).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Penstemon cobaea (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋） via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.