penstemon

[ pen-stee-muhn, pen-stuh-muhn ]

noun

any of numerous chiefly North American plants belonging to the genus Penstemon, of the figwort family, some species of which are cultivated for their showy, variously colored flowers.

Origin of penstemon

1750–60; variant of pentstemon (>New Latin Penstemon genus name)

Also pentstemon.

Words Nearby penstemon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use penstemon in a sentence

The three most abundant plants on the ground are Artemisia ludoviciana, Chrysothamnus depressus and penstemon linarioides.
Comparative Ecology of Pinyon Mice and Deer Mice in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado | Charles L. Douglas
Stems and leaves of two of the plants, Comandra umbellata and penstemon linarioides, were readily eaten by captive animals.
Comparative Ecology of Pinyon Mice and Deer Mice in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado | Charles L. Douglas
Water content of both penstemon and Comandra was greatly reduced in the dry period that occurred in early July.
Comparative Ecology of Pinyon Mice and Deer Mice in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado | Charles L. Douglas
For be it known that Maria penstemon had a will of her own, and a strong tendency to foster crotchets.
The New Mistress | George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for penstemon

penstemon

/ (pɛnˈstiːmən) /

noun

a variant (esp US) of pentstemon

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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