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Cardwell's beardtongue

sand dune penstemon, sharp-leaved penstemon

Habit Low shrub, the stems 1-3 dm. tall, ascending or erect. Herbaceous, glabrous perennial from a short, branched woody base, with several stout stems 1.5-6 dm. tall, the herbage glaucous.
Leaves

Leaves opposite, glabrous, the largest on short, sterile shoots, serrulate or nearly entire, short-petiolate, the blades elliptic, 1.5-3.5 cm. long and 6-14 mm. wide;

leaves of the flowering shoots less crowded, smaller, sessile and entire.

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.

Flowers

Inflorescence racemose, few-flowered and crowded, glandular, the simple pedicels opposite and axillary;

calyx 5-12 mm. long, the 5 segments thin and lanceolate;

corolla bright purple to deep blue-violet, 30-38 mm. long, about 1 cm. wide at the mouth, keeled on the back, glabrous outside and with long, white hairs near the base of the lower lip within;

anthers long-wooly, pollen sacs opposite;

staminode slender, shorter than the 4 fertile filaments, long-bearded toward the tip

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.

Fruits

Capsule

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

Penstemon cardwellii

Penstemon acuminatus

Flowering time May-July April-June
Habitat Open or wooded summits or slopes at middle elevations in the mountains. Dry, open, sandy places at low elevations.
Distribution
Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; southwestern Washington to southwestern Oregon.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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]
Origin Native Native
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
P. acuminatus, P. attenuatus, P. barrettiae, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
P. acuminatus var. acuminatus
Web links