p style=”text-align: justify;”>Shrubby penstemon can be found throughout the hills in the Kamloops area. The shrub blooms in spring-summer and provides show flowers in arid, rocky spots. There are other types of perennial penstemon too. Small-flowered penstemon and yellow penstemon is widely found in our upper grasslands, rocky slopes, and montane forests.

To the east of us, an alpine variety of penstemon can be found in the Monashees and Selkirks, rockvine penstemon.

It grows on woody stems and has thick, green evergreen leaves. The flowers are purple-violet and bell-shaped. It is well adapted to the long winters and snowpacks of the subalpine and alpine environments. As the snows melt rockvine penstemons grace us with a showy mass of flowers.