Flower profile

White-flower beardtongue

Penstemon albidus

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 April–June.

12states

3of our state lists

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.
From Wikipedia's article Penstemon albidus, 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 South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska. ^NatureServe
In North Dakota, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in May–June. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 232 research-grade sightings of it in South Dakota, ranking #60 among the 108 flowers on our South Dakota list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 202 research-grade sightings of it in North Dakota, ranking #31 among the 109 flowers on our North Dakota list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 191 research-grade sightings of it in Nebraska, ranking #84 among the 108 flowers on our Nebraska list. ^iNaturalist

White-flower beardtongue gift ideas

Handmade white-flower beardtongue gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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White-flower beardtongue art print
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White-flower beardtongue embroidery pattern
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (312 records)

Bloom time in each of our 3 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
South Dakota	Native	few records	232
North Dakota	Native	May–June	202
Nebraska	Native	few records	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.

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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.

More South Dakota flowers

Butter-and-eggs (common toadflax)

Linaria vulgaris

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in SD: July–September

Large-flowered beardtongue

Penstemon grandiflorus

Native

🌼 Blooms in SD: May–June

Broadbeard beardtongue

Penstemon angustifolius

Native

🌼 Blooms: May–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile PEAL2.
iNaturalist, Penstemon albidus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Penstemon albidus (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.
Nebraska: Nebraska threatened and endangered species (163 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 4, § 004).
Nebraska: Nebraska noxious weeds (25 Neb. Admin. Code ch. 10, § 001.02).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Penstemon albidus (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Sam Kieschnick via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.