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Penstemon rattanii

Davidson's penstemon

Habit Perennial, forming dense mats with creeping, woody stems, and with scattered, erect flowering stems 0.5-1 dm. tall.
Leaves

Mat leaves thick and firm, glabrous, entire or serrulate, short-petiolate, the blade 0.5-1.5 cm. long and 1 to 2.5 times as long as wide;

cauline leaves few and small, often bract-like, less than 1 cm. long.

Flowers

Inflorescence a compact, few-flowered raceme, glandular-hairy;

calyx glabrous, 7-10 mm. long, the 5 segments thin and broadly lanceolate;

corolla blue-lavender to purple-violet, 2-3.5 cm. long, keeled along the back, glabrous outside, hairy near the base of the lower lip within;

anthers long-woolly, the pollen sacs opening wide enough to form a plane;

staminode (fertile stamen) slender, shorter than the 4 fertile filaments, long-bearded toward the tip.

Fruits

Capsule 8-10 mm. long

Penstemon rattanii

Penstemon davidsonii

Flowering time June-August
Habitat Open, rocky areas, from middle to high elevations in the mountains.
Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California and Nevada.
[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. 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. davidsonii var. davidsonii, P. davidsonii var. menziesii
Web links