Slender Beardtongue

Penstemon gracilis

Pollinator Value

🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Osmia distincta
S17 Osmia (Melanosmia) distincta, specialist on genus Penstemon
❄️ Winter Food Source: Persistent seed capsules provide winter forage for gallinaceous birds. Avian diet studies record Lesser Prairie-Chicken and Wild Turkey consuming Penstemon seeds, at approximately 1.2% and 1.0% of diet by weight respectively. Capsules dehisce but retain seeds on erect stems through winter.
S57 genus-level diet data

Proximity Score: 2
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: NW
CEC Eco-Regions: 9 – Great Plains, 9.2 – Temperate Prairies, 9.2.2 – Lake Manitoba and Lake Agassiz Plain
Rarity Notes: Globally secure (G5) with a Canadian national rank of N4. In Ontario ranked S4 (Apparently Secure), reflecting scattered but stable populations primarily in western and central portions of the province. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Not native to Quebec, hence no provincial rank applies. NatureServe lists native subnational occurrences in AB, BC, MB, ON, SK (Canada) and CO, IA, MI, NM, WY (US).
S22 G5, N4, S4-ON; S1 native ON; S26 not SARA listed
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON S4 – Apparently Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A slender prairie perennial of open, dry habitats in the Great Plains and western Great Lakes. Typically found on sandy or gravelly soils in prairies, open oak woods, rocky ledges, and sandy flats at lower elevations. In Ontario, confined primarily to alvar and sandy habitats in the southern interior, reaching the northeastern edge of its range in Dickinson County, Michigan, on rocky ledges above the Menominee River. The species is peripheral to the Ottawa Valley, with its closest documented Ontario populations well west of the region.
S4 prairies, open woods; S7 rocky ledges, oak savanna, NE range edge; S48 sandy soils, granite ledges, acid bedrock glades

Roles: Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
Notes: OWSL pairs this species with other dry-tolerant, sun-loving natives suitable for rock gardens and naturalized plantings. Campanula rotundifolia shares similar rocky, open habitat preferences. Carex blanda provides a contrasting groundcover texture. The combination supports a pollinator-focused planting scheme on well-drained sites.
S3 complementary plants; S4 prairies, open woods habitat

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: No food uses documented. Moerman's Native American Ethnobotany records only a non-food use by the Lakota (roots used against snakebite), with no edible applications reported.
S28 Other/Protection use only; S29 no edible data