Bloomipedia
White-flower beardtongue (Penstemon albidus)
Photo: Sam Kieschnick via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized

Flower profile

White-flower beardtongue

Penstemon albidus

White-flower beardtongue (Penstemon albidus) is a flowering plant in the Plantaginaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly May–June across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

White-flower 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 May–June.

12states where USDA records it
3Bloomipedia state lists include it
2,082U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

Quick look

Penstemon albidus, commonly known as white penstemon, white-flower beardtongue, or Red-Line Beardtongue is a very widespread perennial flower of the mixed-grass and shortgrass prairies. Its natural distribution is from Manitoba and Alberta in Canada to Texas and New Mexico in the United States. The bright white flowers for which it are named are quite attractive to both bees and hummingbird moths.

  • 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 South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska. NatureServe
  • iNaturalist has 232 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #60 among the 126 flowers on our South Dakota list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 202 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #31 among the 116 flowers on our North Dakota list. iNaturalist
  • iNaturalist has 191 research-grade sightings of it in Nebraska, ranking #84 among the 147 flowers on our Nebraska list. iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (312 records)
Bloom time in the 3 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it
StateTypePeak bloomSightings*
South DakotaNativefew records (11)232
North DakotaNativefew records (27)202
NebraskaNativefew records (13)191

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.
Nebraska
Not listed Not on Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Nebraska. 163 NAC 4-004
Rare elsewhere
Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: IA (S2). (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 white-flower beardtongue in 12 states.

recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming.

South Dakota counties with USDA records: Beadle, Bennett, Brown, Butte, Charles Mix, Clay, Codington, Corson, Custer, Day, Dewey, Fall River, Gregory, Haakon, Harding, Hutchinson, Jackson, Lawrence, Marshall, Meade, Mellette, Pennington, Stanley, Todd, Tripp, Union, Yankton, Ziebach.

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

Nebraska counties with USDA records: Adams, Antelope, Banner, Blaine, Boone, Box Butte, Boyd, Brown, Buffalo, Butler, Cedar, Chase, Cherry, Cheyenne, Cuming, Custer, Dawes, Dawson, Douglas, Dundy, Franklin, Frontier, Garden, Gosper, Hall, Hitchcock, Holt, Howard, Kearney, Keith, Keya Paha, Kimball, Knox, Merrick, Morrill, Nuckolls, Perkins, Phelps, Pierce, Platte, Rock, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Thomas, Webster, Wheeler, York.

Names, range and relatives

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

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 302 counties across 12 states; the most are in Nebraska (49), Kansas (46), North Dakota (43).

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)

Large-flowered beardtongue

Penstemon grandiflorus

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in SD
Lilac penstemon (Penstemon gracilis)

Lilac penstemon

Penstemon gracilis

Native

🌼 Few flowering records in SD
Butter-and-eggs (common toadflax) (Linaria vulgaris)

Butter-and-eggs (common toadflax)

Linaria vulgaris

Introduced

🌼 Few flowering records in SD

Sources