Burke: Penstemon lentus vs. Penstemon serrulatus

	Penstemon lentus	Penstemon serrulatus
		Cascade beardtongue, coast penstemon
Habit		Perennial from a branching, woody base, the several stems 2-7 dm. tall, glabrous or puberulent, not at all glandular.
Leaves		Leaves opposite, glabrous, all cauline, the lower ones reduced and short-petiolate, the others sessile, lanceolate to ovate-oblong, sharply serrate, 3-8 cm. long and 1-3.5 cm. wide.
Flowers		Inflorescence often a single, compact, terminal verticillaster, sometimes of several and more open; calyx 5-9 mm. long, the 5 segments with marginal hairs; corolla deep blue to dark purple, 17-25 mm. long, glabrous inside and out; anthers permanently horseshoe-shaped, 1.1-1.6 mm. long; pollen sacs dehiscent only on their confluent apices; fertile filaments glabrous; staminode with a long, yellowish beard on the upper half, the tip flattened.
Fruits		Capsule 5-8 mm. long.

	Penstemon lentus	Penstemon serrulatus
Flowering time		June-August
Habitat		Moist to wet meadows and forest openings, from low elevations to the subalpine.
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest and in the Olympic Mountains in Washington; southern British Columbia to Oregon. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin		Native
Conservation status		Not of concern
Sibling taxa	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. 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. rydbergii, P. speciosus, P. subserratus, P. triphyllus, P. venustus, P. washingtonensis, P. wilcoxii
Web links	Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, 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 lentus

Penstemon serrulatus

Cascade beardtongue, coast penstemon

Habit

Perennial from a branching, woody base, the several stems 2-7 dm. tall, glabrous or puberulent, not at all glandular.

Leaves

Leaves opposite, glabrous, all cauline, the lower ones reduced and short-petiolate, the others sessile, lanceolate to ovate-oblong, sharply serrate, 3-8 cm. long and 1-3.5 cm. wide.

Flowers

Inflorescence often a single, compact, terminal verticillaster, sometimes of several and more open;

calyx 5-9 mm. long, the 5 segments with marginal hairs;

corolla deep blue to dark purple, 17-25 mm. long, glabrous inside and out;

anthers permanently horseshoe-shaped, 1.1-1.6 mm. long;

pollen sacs dehiscent only on their confluent apices; fertile filaments glabrous;

staminode with a long, yellowish beard on the upper half, the tip flattened.

Fruits

Capsule 5-8 mm. long.