County

A little flower is getting a whole lot of attention

White River Beardtongue is a flowering perennial native to Eastern Utah and extreme western Rio Blanco County.
USFS Photo

RBC | It’s not hemp or marijuana; it’s a little-known flowering plant—technically, two species from the same plant family—native to eastern Utah and far western Rio Blanco County.

Graham’s beardtongue (Penstemon grahamii) and White River beardtongue (Penstemon scariosus var. albifluvis) are flowering perennials that grow wild in soil where oil shale is traditionally found. Conservation groups…