Firecracker Penstemon (Penstemon eatonii)

Firecracker Penstemon, Grove Creek (PG, Utah), June 2013, David Kenison; click to enlarge

Also known as Eaton’s penstemon, Eaton's beardtongue, scarlet-bugler penstemon
From the Figwort/Snapdragon family (Scrophulariaceae)

The abundant bright scarlet blooms make the Firecracker Penstemon one of the most striking of the Wasatch Wildflowers.  The prolific inch-long blossoms line a vertical stalk that can grow as high as 3-4 feet; a single plant cluster can contain 20 or 30 stalks.  The flowers are distinctively tubular, occasionally flaring slightly at the open end, and generally hang from one side of the stalk. Hummingbirds love this plant, their long beaks reaching into the thin blossoms to extract the nectar and pollinate in the process.

Details about the names:

• The size, shape, and color of the blossom make the "firecracker" name obvious.
• Daniel C. Eaton was a 19th-century Yale University botanist who traveled to Utah in the 1860s and collected specimens of this plant near Provo in 1869.
• The name "beardtongue" comes from the infertile stamen that protrudes from the flower and looks like a hairy tongue.

The dark green leathery leaves are lance- or heart-shaped, usually close to the ground and extending partway up the stem in opposing pairs.

This plant grows well in rocky soil with good drainage, and often direct sunlight.  It is found throughout the southwestern United States, and blooms from May through August, at elevations from 3000 to 9000'.

These photos were taken by the author on the Grove Creek trail in June 2013, and the Dry Canyon trail in May 2014.

Additional links:
The USDA information sheet
University of Utah Extension Services