Burke: Penstemon acuminatus vs. Penstemon gairdneri

	Penstemon acuminatus	Penstemon gairdneri
	sand dune penstemon, sharp-leaved penstemon	gairdner's penstemon
Habit	Herbaceous, glabrous perennial from a short, branched woody base, with several stout stems 1.5-6 dm. tall, the herbage glaucous.	Plants from a branched, woody base, the several, erect stems 1-4 dm. tall, also with short, densely-leafy sterile stems which tend to form loose mats; herbage finely gray-puberulent, with a few stalked glands in the inflorescence.
Leaves	Leaves opposite, thick and firm, the basal leaves tufted, oblanceolate, up to 15 cm. long and 2 cm. wide; cauline leaves sessile and clasping, progressively shorter and broader upward.	Leaves numerous, opposite to alternate, or irregularly scattered, entire, linear, seldom over 3 mm. wide.
Flowers	Inflorescence of rather dense verticillasters, the bracts subtending the lower verticillasters broad and leafy, the upper ones reduced; calyx deeply 5-parted, the segments lanceolate, entire; corolla bright blue, tubular, 14-21 mm. long, the tube expanded toward the end; pollen sacs glabrous, dehiscent throughout and becoming opposite, 0.8-1.2 mm. long; staminode (sterile stamen) usually yellow-bearded for about 1 mm. toward the tip.	Inflorescence of several few-flowered verticillasters; calyx 3.5-8 mm. long, the 5 segments broadly lanceolate, entire; corolla blue-purple or lavender, or occasionally bright rose-purple, 14-22 mm. long, somewhat glandular-hairy externally and internally near the mouth, the tube flared, the limb spreading; pollen sacs glabrous, ovate, 0.8-1.2 mm. long, becoming opposite; staminode bearded toward the tip.
Fruits	Capsule 7-12 mm. long, excluding the slender beak, which is up to 5 mm. long.	Capsule 6-8 mm. long.

	Penstemon acuminatus	Penstemon gairdneri
Flowering time	April-June	May-June
Habitat	Dry, open, sandy places at low elevations.	Dry, open sagebrush desert and scablands, low to moderate elevations in the mountains.
Distribution	Occurring east of the Cascades crest from Chelan and Douglas counties south along the Columbia River to Klickitat County; central Washington to north-central Oregon, also from southeastern Oregon to northern Nevada, east to southwestern Idaho. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	East of the Cascades in Washington; Washington south to Oregon, east to Idaho. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Native	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	P. attenuatus, P. barrettiae, P. cardwellii, P. cinereus, P. confertus, P. davidsonii, P. deustus, P. ellipticus, P. eriantherus, P. euglaucus, P. fruticosus, P. gairdneri, P. glandulosus, P. hesperius, P. lyallii, P. ovatus, P. palmeri, P. pennellianus, P. procerus, P. pruinosus, P. richardsonii, P. rupicola, P. rydbergii, P. serrulatus, P. speciosus, P. subserratus, P. triphyllus, P. venustus, P. washingtonensis, P. wilcoxii	P. acuminatus, P. attenuatus, P. barrettiae, P. cardwellii, P. cinereus, P. confertus, P. davidsonii, P. deustus, P. ellipticus, P. eriantherus, P. euglaucus, P. fruticosus, P. glandulosus, P. hesperius, P. lyallii, P. ovatus, P. palmeri, P. pennellianus, P. procerus, P. pruinosus, P. richardsonii, P. rupicola, P. rydbergii, P. serrulatus, P. speciosus, P. subserratus, P. triphyllus, P. venustus, P. washingtonensis, P. wilcoxii
Subordinate taxa	P. acuminatus var. acuminatus	P. gairdneri var. gairdneri
Web links	Local floras: OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Penstemon gairdneri

sand dune penstemon, sharp-leaved penstemon

gairdner's penstemon

Habit

Herbaceous, glabrous perennial from a short, branched woody base, with several stout stems 1.5-6 dm. tall, the herbage glaucous.

Plants from a branched, woody base, the several, erect stems 1-4 dm. tall, also with short, densely-leafy sterile stems which tend to form loose mats; herbage finely gray-puberulent, with a few stalked glands in the inflorescence.

Leaves

Leaves opposite, thick and firm, the basal leaves tufted, oblanceolate, up to 15 cm. long and 2 cm. wide;

cauline leaves sessile and clasping, progressively shorter and broader upward.

Leaves numerous, opposite to alternate, or irregularly scattered, entire, linear, seldom over 3 mm. wide.

Flowers

Inflorescence of rather dense verticillasters, the bracts subtending the lower verticillasters broad and leafy, the upper ones reduced;

calyx deeply 5-parted, the segments lanceolate, entire;

corolla bright blue, tubular, 14-21 mm. long, the tube expanded toward the end;

pollen sacs glabrous, dehiscent throughout and becoming opposite, 0.8-1.2 mm. long;

staminode (sterile stamen) usually yellow-bearded for about 1 mm. toward the tip.

Inflorescence of several few-flowered verticillasters;

calyx 3.5-8 mm. long, the 5 segments broadly lanceolate, entire;

corolla blue-purple or lavender, or occasionally bright rose-purple, 14-22 mm. long, somewhat glandular-hairy externally and internally near the mouth, the tube flared, the limb spreading;

pollen sacs glabrous, ovate, 0.8-1.2 mm. long, becoming opposite;

staminode bearded toward the tip.

Fruits

Capsule 7-12 mm. long, excluding the slender beak, which is up to 5 mm. long.

Capsule 6-8 mm. long.

Penstemon acuminatus

Penstemon gairdneri

Flowering time

April-June

May-June

Habitat

Dry, open, sandy places at low elevations.

Dry, open sagebrush desert and scablands, low to moderate elevations in the mountains.

Distribution

Occurring east of the Cascades crest from Chelan and Douglas counties south along the Columbia River to Klickitat County; central Washington to north-central Oregon, also from southeastern Oregon to northern Nevada, east to southwestern Idaho.

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]