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Common Name: Yellow Penstemon

General Information

Penstemon confertus is a Evergreen Perennial up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Western N. America.

Habitat

Fairly moist open or wooded places, often in meadows or by streams, in lowland and foothills to moderate elevations in the Rockies[]. Dry sandy pinewoods[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in ordinary rich garden soils so long as they are well-drained[]. Succeeds in dry soils. Requires a position in full sun[].
Very cold hardy, but some protection from winter wet is beneficial for this plant[]. Plants are evergreen in mild winters[].

Edible Uses

A tea-like beverage is made by boiling the dried leaves and stems for a short time[, , , ]. If made too strong, it can have a purgative effect on the body[].

Medicinal

A strong decoction of the root is purgative[].
A decoction of the outer bark has been used in the treatment of stomach troubles[].
The roasted and powdered stems and leaves have been used as a dressing on sores, cuts and wounds[].

Other Uses

The flowers can be boiled and then rubbed on items to give them an indelible blue colouring[].

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter in a greenhouse[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring.
Alternatively, the seed can be sown in early summer in a greenhouse, the seedlings overwintered in the greenhouse and then planted out in the following spring[].
Division in autumn[].
Cuttings can be taken throughout the growing season, though mid summer to early autumn is best[].