Penstemon

Penstemon
Penstemon nitidus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Plantaginaceae
Tribe:	Cheloneae
Genus:	Penstemon Schmidel
Species
See List of Penstemon species.
Synonyms[1]
Apentostera Raf. (1837) Bartramia Salisb. (1796) Dasanthera Raf. (1819) Elmigera Rchb. ex Spach (1840) Leiostemon Raf. (1825) Lepteiris Raf. (1837)

Penstemon /ˈpɛnstɪmən/,^[2] the beardtongues, is a large genus of roughly 280 species of flowering plants native to North America from northern Canada to Central America. It is the largest genus of flowering plants endemic to North America.^[3][4] As well as being the scientific name, penstemon is also widely used as a common name for all Penstemon species alongside beardtongues.

Formerly placed in the family Scrophulariaceae by the Cronquist system, new genetic research has placed it in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae. The total number of species is uncertain due to on going research into if some of the named species are actually subspecies or misidentifications of already identified species.