| Kingdom Plantae Family Plantaginaceae Scientific name Penstemon rupicola Rank Species | Order Lamiales Genus Penstemon Higher classification Beardtongue | |
| Similar Beardtongue, Penstemon davidsonii, Penstemon fruticosus, Penstemon newberryi, Penstemon barrettiae | ||
Penstemon rupicola is a species of penstemon known by the common name cliff beardtongue. It is native to the west coast of the United States from Washington to the Klamath Mountains of far northern California, where it grows in rocky mountainous habitat. It is a clumpy, mat-forming subshrub growing no more than 14 centimeters high. The thick, waxy, oppositely arranged leaves are round or oval and up to 2 centimeters long. The showy wide-mouthed tubular flowers emerging from the mat may be nearly 4 centimeters in length and are shades of light purple to bright pink.
Penstemon rupicola is included in Penstemon subgenus Dasanthera, along with P. barrettiae, P. cardwellii, P. davidsonii, P. ellipticus, P. fruticosus, P. lyallii, P. montanus, and P. newberryi.
