Flower profile

Lilac penstemon

Penstemon gracilis

Lilac penstemon (Penstemon gracilis) is a flowering plant in the Plantaginaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly June–July across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Lilac penstemon is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–July.

13states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

1,181U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: North Dakota, South Dakota

Quick look

Penstemon gracilis, more commonly the slender penstemon or lilac penstemon, is flowering plant in the veronica family. It primarily grows in the northern Great Plains of the United States and southern Canada.
From Wikipedia's article Penstemon gracilis, 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 13 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to South Dakota and North Dakota. ^NatureServe
iNaturalist has 185 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #78 among the 126 flowers on our South Dakota list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 95 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #71 among the 116 flowers on our North Dakota list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (245 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
South Dakota	Native	few records (25)	185
North Dakota	Native	few records (11)	95

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
South Dakota: No list South Dakota's endangered and threatened list (ARSD 41:10:02) covers animals only, so we show NatureServe's South Dakota ranks for plants. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in South Dakota.
North Dakota: No list North Dakota has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's North Dakota ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in North Dakota.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IA (S1), MI (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 page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

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 lilac penstemon in 13 states.

AKMEVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILWIMINYRIMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTCAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

South Dakota counties with USDA records: Aurora, Bennett, Brookings, Brown, Campbell, Codington, Corson, Custer, Day, Dewey, Edmunds, Faulk, Hand, Harding, Hughes, Jackson, Jerauld, Lawrence, Lyman, Marshall, McPherson, Meade, Mellette, Minnehaha, Pennington, Potter, Roberts, Spink, Sully, Todd, Yankton.

North Dakota counties with USDA records: Barnes, Benson, Billings, Bottineau, Bowman, Burke, Burleigh, Cass, Dickey, Divide, Dunn, Eddy, Emmons, Golden Valley, Grant, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McHenry, McKenzie, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Mountrail, Oliver, Pembina, Pierce, Ramsey, Ransom, Richland, Rolette, Sargent, Sioux, Slope, Stark, Steele, Stutsman, Ward, Wells, Williams.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Canada: Native; Lower 48 states: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 191 counties across 13 states; the most are in Minnesota (41), North Dakota (41), South Dakota (31).

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

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 South Dakota flowers

Large-flowered beardtongue

Penstemon grandiflorus

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

White-flower beardtongue

Penstemon albidus

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Butter-and-eggs (common toadflax)

Linaria vulgaris

Introduced

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PEGR5.
iNaturalist, Penstemon gracilis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Penstemon gracilis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
South Dakota: South Dakota statewide noxious weeds (ARSD 12:62:03:01.06).
North Dakota: North Dakota state noxious weeds (N.D. Admin. Code 7-06-01-02), as listed by the ND Department of Agriculture.
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Penstemon gracilis (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Jo Roberts via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.