Perennial of the Plantaginaceae family, this rock garden penstemon, whose precise identification could not be established, likely belongs to the group of herbaceous species native to western North America.
The plant forms a very compact basal clump of bright green, glossy lanceolate leaves with a well-marked central vein. The slender, upright flowering stems barely exceed ten centimeters and bear the flowers in dense, rounded terminal whorls, a distinctive feature that immediately sets it apart from penstemons with elongated unilateral spikes.
The bilabiate tubular flowers display an electric blue of uncommon intensity and purity in the genus, barely tinged with violet depending on the light angle. This color, almost unreal in full sun against a gray rock background, is undoubtedly what first strikes the observer and alone justifies the place of this plant in a rock garden collection.
In cultivation, a well-drained, mineral soil in full sun suits this type of penstemon. The plant installed between large rock blocks with a gravel mulch illustrates the conditions that are favorable to it.