PURPLE PENTSTEMON 
Pentstemon lyallii Gray 
Purple pentstemon is one of the finest of all the pentstemons, 
especially when it finds a congenial situation. In disintegrated lime- 
stone it thrives luxuriantly, often forming low dense clumps two or 
three feet in diameter and completely coveted with large purple 
blossoms which tesemble those of foxglove, one of its relatives. The 
flowers, borne at the ends of the stems, are so heavy that they weigh 
the branches to the ground. On slopes above timberline whete it is 
subjected to severe climatic conditions it is very beautiful in contrast 
with gtay rocks, especially when growing in tock crevices. 
Purple pentstemon belongs to the Figwort Family and ranges 
from Idaho and Montana northward to Alberta and British Columbia. 
We gathered them in perfection in Sinclait Canyon, near Radium 
Hot Springs, British Columbia, at an altitude of 3,000 feet. 
PLATE 3,46 
