Tennessee › Plantaginaceae

Foxglove Beardtongue

Penstemon digitalis

Also known as

Smooth Beard Tongue; Talus Slope Beard Tongue; White Beard Tongue

Strong

Tennessee · provisional Quercus Score

Calculated with the same rules as North Carolina, using Tennessee host-range and conservation-rank inputs. Native-status evidence is shown separately.

Tennessee scoring method and limits

Insect resources, birds and habitat

Caterpillars	7 recorded species on the genus Host genera of native Lepidoptera recorded in Tennessee; host association and range overlap, not confirmed local feeding.
Bees	46 recorded species on the genus Southeastern North America
Specialist bees	2 recorded species on the genus Eastern North America
Birds	2 recorded species on the genus North America
Structure	Forb/herb

Baseline 71; additional insect credit +0. Rarity adjustment -5 using the NC rule (unranked: −5; final score floor: 5). Missing records do not establish zero ecological use.

Native to Tennessee (state-specific source). Tennessee yard-fit calculations are not available yet.

Also available: North Carolina assessment. Both assessments use the same scoring rules with the evidence shown for each state.

Recorded in your county?

Tennessee county

Choose a county to check the available records.

County occurrence is not proof of native range or yard suitability. A missing record does not establish absence.

Tennessee status	Native to Tennessee (state-specific source)
Source conservation rank	SNR
Recorded in Tennessee	22 counties in the atlas snapshot

Growing conditions

Full to part sun, medium to slightly dry moisture level, adapted to a wide range of soils including clay, moderately acid to neutral pH. 3-5 ft. height, blooms late spring to early summer, white flowers, spreads by re-seeding and by short rhizomes in the root system.

Native Region: Scattered statewide in isolated counties UT Smart Yards source

Native-status evidence

Combined TN–KY atlas flag: Y. A regional flag alone does not settle Tennessee native status.

Native Region: Scattered statewide in isolated counties Source

Combined-source assessment

Native to Tennessee (state-specific source)

A TN-specific UT native-guide page or an exact entry in the Tennessee rare-plant list supports a direct source claim. Otherwise, TN occurrence plus an atlas native flag and exact-name native evidence from NC flora or USDA L48 supports a provisional state inference. No one regional claim or occurrence alone establishes TN nativity; NC and L48 claims retain their actual scopes.

UT Tennessee Smart Yards native-plant guide: native (TN). Native Region: Scattered statewide in isolated counties

USDA PLANTS: native (L48). CAN:I L48:N

TN–KY Plant Atlas: native (TN–KY).

Sources

Machine-readable: plant evidence.

Quercus Score v0.6.4 · built 2026-09-26 · Tennessee beta · sources and limitations on every page