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Cardwell's beardtongue

Rydberg's beardtongue

Habit Low shrub, the stems 1-3 dm. tall, ascending or erect. Tufted perennial from a woody rhizome, the slender stems 2-7 dm. tall, usually glabrous throughout.
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, entire, the basal ones petiolate, oblanceolate, often forming rosettes, up to 15 cm. long and 2 cm. wide;

cauline leaves few, well-developed, sessile, not over 10 cm. long and 2 cm. wide.

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 1-several dense verticillasters, the flowers spreading at right angles to the stem;

calyx 3-7 mm. long, the 5 segments narrowly scarious-margined, tapering to a pointed tip;

corolla blue-purple, 11-15 mm. long, bilabiate, the tube expanded, 3-5 mm. wide at the mouth; raised portion of the lower petal bearded;

staminode usually bearded at the expanded tip;

pollen sacs glabrous, ovate, 0.6-1.0 mm. long, dehiscent throughout and becoming opposite.

Fruits

Capsule

Capsule 5-6 mm. long.

Penstemon cardwellii

Penstemon rydbergii

Flowering time May-July May-July
Habitat Open or wooded summits or slopes at middle elevations in the mountains. Meadows and moist, open slopes, occasionally on drier slopes with sagebrush, chiefly in the foothills and at moderate elevations in the mountains.
Distribution
Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; southwestern Washington to southwestern Oregon.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring east of the Cascades in Washington; Washington to California, east to the Rocky Mountains.
[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. acuminatus, 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. serrulatus, P. speciosus, P. subserratus, P. triphyllus, P. venustus, P. washingtonensis, P. wilcoxii
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