Penstemon 'Raven' belongs to a large genus of roughly 280 species native across North America, from northern Canada south to Central America. The group is commonly called beardtongues and sits in the Plantaginaceae following recent taxonomic revision. Members of the genus are identified by their two-lipped corollas with petals fused into a tube, an obvious infertile stamen (the staminode) and seed capsules that follow the blooms. In the UK Penstemon 'Raven' flowers from June to September. Place the plant where the tubular blooms can be appreciated at close range; the fused corolla and bearded throat are the most noticeable features. Allow room for upright flowering stems and remove finished flower spikes if you wish to maintain a tidier outline and encourage further growth. Use Penstemon 'Raven' where its floral form will be on display, for example in a mixed herbaceous border or as a focussed accent among contrasting foliage textures. Inspect the throat of each flower on Penstemon 'Raven' for the dense hairs on the staminode — that bearded feature helps confirm the cultivar.

Penstemon 'Raven' is a cultivated member of the Penstemon genus (family Plantaginaceae), noted for its two-lipped, tubular flowers and the prominent staminode — the characteristic 'beardtongue'. Flowering occurs from June to September. The flowers have petals fused into a tube with an open throat and a bearded palate, and the plants produce seed capsules following flowering.

Penstemon 'Raven' produces two-lipped tubular flowers from June to September.

Penstemon 'Raven'

Beardtongues (Penstemon 'Raven') | Summer Blooms

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