aka Coast Penstemon, Cascade Beardtongue. The relatively large brillant deep-blue to dark-purple flowers form a single cluster on top of a tall unbranched stem from 6″ – 24″ (15 – 60 cm) in height. The flower forms a broad tube up to 1″ long and contain four fertile stamens and a sterile filament. The anthers are horseshoe-shaped. A distinctive feature of penstemons is the prominent staminode, an infertile stamen that in this case appears like a fuzzy tongue. The 1″ – 4″ leaves are lance-shaped to oblong egg-shaped and are saw-toothed or irregularly toothed. Common and usually found along streams and moist places to 6,000′ elevation.