Penstemon auriberbis |
Penstemon oliganthus |
|
---|---|---|
Colorado beardtongue |
Apache beardtongue |
|
Habit | Herbs. | |
Stems | ascending to erect, 10–30(–35) cm, retrorsely hairy proximally, glandular-pubescent distally. |
erect, (6–)10–45 cm, retrorsely hairy, also glandular-pubescent distally, not glaucous. |
Leaves | basal and cauline, not leathery, glabrous, puberulent, or retrorsely hairy; basal and proximal cauline petiolate, (15–)30–60(–100) × (1–)2–5(–7) mm, blade lanceolate to linear, base tapered, margins entire, apex obtuse to acute; cauline 2–6 pairs, sessile, (25–)40–80 × 2–7 mm, blade lanceolate to linear, base tapered to slightly clasping, margins entire or obscurely denticulate, apex acute to acuminate. |
basal and cauline, not leathery, proximals usually retrorsely hairy proximally, especially along midveins and margins, mostly glabrate distally, distals retrorsely hairy and, sometimes, sparsely glandular-pubescent, sometimes ± glaucescent; basal and proximal cauline 15–75 × (2–)5–19 mm, blade spatulate to oblanceolate or elliptic, base tapered, margins entire, apex rounded to obtuse or acute, sometimes mucronate; cauline 2–5 pairs, sessile, 11–70 × (1–)4–15 mm, blade of proximal leaves oblanceolate to lanceolate, distal leaves lanceolate, base tapered to clasping, margins entire, rarely ± denticulate distally, apex acute to acuminate. |
Thyrses | continuous or interrupted, cylindric or slightly secund, (5–)7–23 cm, axis glandular-pubescent, verticillasters 3–8, cymes 2–4-flowered, 2 per node; proximal bracts lanceolate to linear, 18–100 × 2–12 mm; peduncles and pedicels glandular-pubescent. |
interrupted, secund, (1–)3–24(–30) cm, axis glandular-pubescent, verticillasters (2 or)3–7, cymes 1–4-flowered, (1 or)2 per node; proximal bracts lanceolate to linear, 7–38(–60) × 1–7 mm, margins entire; peduncles and pedicels erect, glandular-pubescent. |
Flowers | calyx lobes ovate to lanceolate, (6–)7–9 × 1–2 mm, densely glandular-pubescent; corolla violet to lilac or pinkish blue, with magenta or violet nectar guides, weakly bilabiate, tubular-funnelform, (16–)18–22(–24) mm, moderately white-pilose internally abaxially, tube 4–6 mm, throat gradually inflated, not constricted at orifice, 7–9 mm diam., rounded abaxially; stamens included, pollen sacs divergent, navicular, 1.2–1.5 mm, dehiscing incompletely, connective not splitting, sutures papillate; staminode 13–16 mm, reaching orifice or exserted, 0.6–0.9 mm diam., tip recurved, distal 10–15 mm moderately to densely villous, hairs orangish, to 2.5 mm; style 11–14 mm. |
calyx lobes lanceolate, 2.8–6 × 0.9–2 mm, glandular-pubescent; corolla blue to violet-blue, with reddish purple nectar guides, tubular to tubular-funnelform, 11–20 mm, glandular-pubescent externally, sparsely to moderately white-villous to white-lanate internally abaxially, tube 5–7 mm, throat slightly inflated, 3–6 mm diam., 2-ridged abaxially; stamens included, pollen sacs opposite, navicular, 0.8–1.2 mm, dehiscing completely, connective splitting, sides glabrous, sutures papillate; staminode 10–12 mm, included or slightly exserted, 0.3–0.4 mm diam., tip straight to slightly recurved, distal 3–6 mm densely pilose, hairs golden, to 2 mm; style 9–13 mm. |
Capsules | (6–)8–10 × 3–4 mm. |
5–7 × 3–4.5 mm, glabrous. |
2n | = 16. |
= 16. |
Penstemon auriberbis |
Penstemon oliganthus |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Aug. | Flowering Jun–Aug(–Oct). |
Habitat | Silty or gravelly soils, shortgrass prairies, sagebrush shrublands. | Montane meadows, ciénagas, clearings in pine and spruce-fir forests. |
Elevation | 1200–2500 m. (3900–8200 ft.) | 2400–3500 m. (7900–11500 ft.) |
Distribution |
CO; NM
|
AZ; NM
|
Discussion | Penstemon auriberbis is known from Chaffee, Costilla, Custer, El Paso, Elbert, Fremont, Huerfano, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero, and Pueblo counties, Colorado, and Colfax and Union counties, New Mexico. The species is unique in sect. Cristati in having incompletely dehiscing anthers. Penstemon parviflorus is known only from the type locality in Montezuma County, Colorado (S. L. O’Kane 1988). A report for McKinley County, New Mexico, has not been confirmed. The type was collected July 1890 by Alice Eastwood, reputedly near Mancos, Colorado. F. W. Pennell (1920b) distinguished P. parviflorus from the more eastern P. auriberbis primarily by the former’s shorter corollas, longer calyx lobes, and more slender stems. D. D. Keck (1938) observed that the type specimen has whorled cauline leaves, which Pennell did not mention in his description, and Keck suggested that P. parviflorus might be a genetically aberrant individual of P. auriberbis that was accidentally introduced into Montezuma County. Whorled cauline leaves are not uncommon in P. auriberbis, and they occur rarely in other species in sect. Cristati. Penstemon parviflorus appears to be P. auriberbis, and the type specimen actually may have come from south-central Colorado; Eastwood collected P. auriberbis in Pueblo County in 1891. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Penstemon oliganthus is known from the Mogollon Rim (Coconino County) and White Mountains of east-central Arizona (Apache and Greenlee counties) and the Jemez and San Mateo mountains of northwestern New Mexico (McKinley, Sandoval, and Valencia counties). Crosswhite described P. pseudoparvus from five specimens from the Magdalena and San Mateo mountains in Socorro County, New Mexico, and more than 24 specimens of P. oliganthus from Arizona and New Mexico. He separated the two species based on stem indument (obscurely puberulent in P. oliganthus versus obviously puberulent in P. pseudoparvus), and flower orientation and shape (horizontal or more usually drooping and little inflated in P. oliganthus versus ascending and not inflated in P. pseudoparvus). More than 60 collections referable to these species were examined for this treatment, including the types, specimens annotated by Crosswhite, and 20 specimens from the San Mateo and Magdalena mountains in Socorro County; the two taxa appear to be indistinguishable. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 129. | FNA vol. 17, p. 213. |
Parent taxa | Plantaginaceae > Penstemon > subg. Penstemon > sect. Cristati | Plantaginaceae > Penstemon > subg. Penstemon > sect. Penstemon |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. parviflorus | P. pseudoparvus |
Name authority | Pennell: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 20: 339. (1920) | Wooton & Standley: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 16: 172. (1913) — (as Pentstemon) |
Web links |