What is this plant?

[cactusman]

Can anyone tell me what kind of plant this is? I think it may be some kind of perennial. Thanks in advance.

[Newt]

Hi Cactusman,

I'm pretty good at identifying plants, but not without the flowers.* I can think of several possibilities from Salvia to Penstemon to Veronica.* Can you post a picture when it flowers?*

Maybe someone else will come along and be able to help.

Newt

[cactusman]

[align=left]I sure will - shouldn't be long![/align]
[align=left]Thanks,[/align]
[align=left]*[/align]
[align=left]cactusman[/align]

[cactusman]

Finally got some flowers.....

[Newt]

It's a Penstemon, but I just don't know which one.* There are about 270 different species of them in different sizes, heights and variation of flower shape.* Some have long thin tubular flowers and others that look like yours.* The flower colors range from red, to pink, to purple, to yellow to white and lots of shades in between.* I used to have one that looked like yours and was supposed to be Penstemon digitalis 'Husker Red'.* I thought it would have red flowers when I purchased it, but it turns out that Husker is a person and red is supposed to be the color of the flower stalks, which are really burgandy to dark purple.* The flowers are white.* Mine looked just like yours with the green stem.

Did you know that the streaks inside the flowers are called guidelines and are said to lead hummingbirds or bees to the nectar of the flowers?* Also, many penstemons are short lived perennials.

Here's some possibilities of which one yours might be.

Penstemon grandiflorus.* This one is named 'Prarie Snow'.
http://arboretum.unl.edu/webimages/g...rairiesnow.jpg

Pensetmon gradiflorus 'Prarie Jewel'.
http://www.lovelandgardencenter.com/...-Penstemon.jpg

Penstemon digitalis
http://biology.missouristate.edu/Her...0digitalis.jpg
http://twig.tamu.edu/white_foxglove_...igitalis_1.jpg

Penstemon confertus
http://blackfootnativeplants.com/Inv...onfertus41.jpg

This will give you an idea of how many different varieties there are.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/b/S...ne/cultivar/0/

Some interesting info about Penstemons.
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~aw...emon.html#gard
*
This is more about the native varieties, not the cultivated ones with names like 'Husker Red'.
http://www.mswn.com/MSWNwildaboutpenstemons.htm

Newt