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egg-leaf beardtongue, broad-leaved penstemon

whorled beardtongue

Habit Robust perennial from a woody base, the clustered stems 3-10 dm. tall, with stiff, spreading hairs below the inflorescence Taprooted perennial, shrubby at the base, the numerous, slender and brittle stems 2.5-8 dm. tall, puberulent.
Leaves

Basal leaves opposite, clustered, petiolate, with ovate to sub-cordate blade up to 10 cm. long and half as wide, about equaling the petiole, serrate, hairy like the stem, especially along the mid-vein beneath;

cauline leaves sessile and clasping, more sharply serrate, nearly as large, but more broadly oblong, the upper ovate.

Leaves irregularly arranged, many ternate or whorled, others opposite or single, glabrous or puberulent, all cauline, the lowermost reduced, the others numerous, sessile from a narrow base, linear or narrowly lance-elliptic, up to 5 cm. long and 1 cm. wide, irregularly and sharply toothed.

Flowers

Inflorescence large and open, strongly glandular-hairy;

calyx 3-5 mm. long, broadly lanceolate, with parallel veins;

corolla blue, 15-22 mm. long, glandular-hairy on the outside, the raised portion of the lower petal pale blue and hairy;

corolla strongly bilabiate, the lower lip much the longer;

pollen sacs 0.8-1.1 mm. long, fully dehiscent and becoming opposite, nearly glabrous;

staminode bearded toward the recurved tip.

Inflorescence a loose panicle, often leafy-bracteate below;

calyx 4-6 mm. long, the 5 segments green or purplish, entire, often unequal;

corolla blue-lavender to light purple-violet, 13-19 mm. long, weakly bilabiate, glandular-hairy outside and glabrous within, the upper lip cleft more than half its length;

anthers 0.9-1.3 mm. long, permanently horseshoe-shaped, the pollen sacs saccate and indehiscent below;

staminode exerted, long-bearded half its length.

Fruits

Capsule 4-6 mm. long.

Capsule 4-6 mm. long

Penstemon ovatus

Penstemon triphyllus

Flowering time May-August May-July
Habitat Open woods below 3000 feet in elevation. Cliff crevices and dry, rocky banks and slopes at low elevations.
Distribution
Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; southern British Columbia to Oregon.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in the southeastern area of Washington; Southeast Washington south to adjacent Oregon and east to adjacent 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. 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. 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. serrulatus, P. speciosus, P. subserratus, P. venustus, P. washingtonensis, P. wilcoxii
Subordinate taxa
P. triphyllus var. triphyllus
Web links