The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

cardinal beardtongue, scarlet beardtongue

Platy or red canyon beardtongue, red canyon beardtongue

Habit Plants: caudex rhizomelike.
Stems

ascending to erect, 32–100 cm, glabrous, slightly glaucous.

decumbent to erect, 3–10(–15) cm, glabrous.

Leaves

glabrous, not glaucous;

basal and proximal cauline 40–80(–150) × 14–40(–60) mm, blade spatulate to obovate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, base tapered, margins entire, apex rounded to obtuse;

cauline 3–7 pairs, sessile, (11–)20–135 × 9–50 mm, blade spatulate to elliptic, ovate, or subcordate, base truncate to broadly cordate-clasping, apex rounded to acute or mucronate.

basal and cauline, glabrous;

basal and proximal cauline (10–)20–35 × 5–17 mm, blade obovate, base tapered, apex rounded to obtuse;

cauline 1–3 pairs, sessile, 10–29 × 5–12 mm, blade ovate to elliptic, base tapered, apex rounded to mucronate.

Thyrses

secund, (3–)6–44 cm, axis glabrous, verticillasters 3–15, cymes 2–4(–8)-flowered;

proximal bracts suborbiculate, ovate, or lanceolate, (4–)16–60 × (2–)5–45 mm;

peduncles and pedicels erect, glabrous.

continuous, cylindric, 1–6 cm, axis glabrous, verticillasters 1–5(or 6), cymes 3–5-flowered;

proximal bracts ovate, 6–14 × 3–13 mm;

peduncles and pedicels glabrous.

Flowers

calyx lobes ovate, 1.6–6 × 1.4–3 mm, margins entire or erose, glabrous;

corolla red to crimson, with reddish violet nectar guides, bilaterally symmetric, weakly bilabiate, tubular, 22–30 mm, densely yellow-villous internally abaxially, tube 6–8 mm, throat 6–8 mm diam., constricted at orifice, rounded abaxially, abaxial lobes spreading to reflexed, adaxial lobes projecting to erect;

stamens included, pollen sacs divergent, 1.5–1.9 mm, sides glabrous, sutures denticulate, teeth to 0.1 mm;

staminode 15–17 mm, included or slightly exserted, tip straight to recurved, distal 1–3 mm sparsely lanate, hairs yellow, to 1.5 mm;

style 18–28 mm, usually exserted.

calyx lobes ovate to lanceolate, (3–)4–5.5 × 1.7–2.2 mm, margins entire or erose, narrowly to broadly scarious, glabrous;

corolla blue to violet or lavender, with reddish purple nectar guides, tubular-funnelform, 13–17(–19) mm, glabrous externally, sparsely white-villous internally abaxially, tube 4–5 mm, throat gradually inflated, 4–5 mm diam., rounded abaxially;

stamens included, pollen sacs divergent to opposite, 0.8–1.2 mm, sutures smooth or obscurely papillate;

staminode 6–8 mm, included, 0.8–1 mm diam., tip recurved, distal 4–5 mm moderately to densely pubescent, hairs golden yellow, to 1 mm;

style 7–8 mm.

Capsules

10–15 × 5–9 mm.

5–7 × 5–6 mm.

Penstemon cardinalis

Penstemon bracteatus

Phenology Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Gravelly and talus slopes, pine woodlands.
Elevation 2100–2500 m. (6900–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
NM; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Penstemon cardinalis occurs as two weakly differentiated varieties in isolated ranges of the Southern Rocky Mountains.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Penstemon bracteatus is known from Garfield, Iron, and Kane counties. Plants grow on limestones of the Claron Formation.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Calyx lobes 1.6–3.5(–4) × 1.4–2 mm; cauline leaf blades elliptic to spatulate or ovate, not leathery; proximal bracts ovate to lanceolate.
var. cardinalis
1. Calyx lobes 4–6 × 2.3–3 mm; cauline leaf blades ovate to subcordate, sometimes elliptic, leathery; proximal bracts suborbiculate to ovate.
var. regalis
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 147. FNA vol. 17, p. 116.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Penstemon > subg. Penstemon > sect. Elmigera Plantaginaceae > Penstemon > subg. Penstemon > sect. Coerulei
Sibling taxa
P. abietinus, P. absarokensis, P. acaulis, P. acuminatus, P. alamosensis, P. albertinus, P. albidus, P. albomarginatus, P. ambiguus, P. ammophilus, P. anguineus, P. angustifolius, P. arenarius, P. arenicola, P. aridus, P. arkansanus, P. attenuatus, P. atwoodii, P. auriberbis, P. australis, P. azureus, P. baccharifolius, P. barbatus, P. barnebyi, P. barrettiae, P. bicolor, P. bleaklyi, P. bracteatus, P. breviculus, P. brevisepalus, P. buckleyi, P. caesius, P. caespitosus, P. calcareus, P. californicus, P. calycosus, P. canescens, P. cardwellii, P. carnosus, P. caryi, P. centranthifolius, P. cinicola, P. clevelandii, P. clutei, P. cobaea, P. comarrhenus, P. compactus, P. concinnus, P. confertus, P. confusus, P. crandallii, P. cusickii, P. cyananthus, P. cyaneus, P. cyanocaulis, P. cyathophorus, P. dasyphyllus, P. davidsonii, P. deamii, P. deaveri, P. debilis, P. degeneri, P. deustus, P. digitalis, P. diphyllus, P. discolor, P. dissectus, P. distans, P. dolius, P. duchesnensis, P. eatonii, P. elegantulus, P. ellipticus, P. eriantherus, P. euglaucus, P. fendleri, P. filiformis, P. flavescens, P. floribundus, P. floridus, P. flowersii, P. franklinii, P. fremontii, P. fruticiformis, P. fruticosus, P. gairdneri, P. gibbensii, P. glaber, P. glandulosus, P. glaucinus, P. globosus, P. goodrichii, P. gormanii, P. gracilentus, P. gracilis, P. grahamii, P. grandiflorus, P. griffinii, P. grinnellii, P. guadalupensis, P. hallii, P. harbourii, P. harringtonii, P. havardii, P. haydenii, P. heterodoxus, P. heterophyllus, P. hirsutus, P. humilis, P. idahoensis, P. immanifestus, P. incertus, P. inflatus, P. jamesii, P. janishiae, P. kingii, P. kralii, P. labrosus, P. laetus, P. laevigatus, P. laevis, P. lanceolatus, P. laricifolius, P. laxiflorus, P. laxus, P. leiophyllus, P. lemhiensis, P. lentus, P. leonardii, P. linarioides, P. longiflorus, P. lyallii, P. marcusii, P. mensarum, P. metcalfei, P. miser, P. moffatii, P. monoensis, P. montanus, P. moriahensis, P. mucronatus, P. multiflorus, P. murrayanus, P. nanus, P. navajoa, P. neomexicanus, P. neotericus, P. newberryi, P. nitidus, P. nudiflorus, P. oklahomensis, P. oliganthus, P. ophianthus, P. osterhoutii, P. ovatus, P. pachyphyllus, P. pahutensis, P. pallidus, P. palmeri, P. papillatus, P. parryi, P. parvulus, P. parvus, P. patens, P. payettensis, P. paysoniorum, P. peckii, P. penlandii, P. pennellianus, P. perpulcher, P. personatus, P. petiolatus, P. pinifolius, P. pinorum, P. platyphyllus, P. pratensis, P. procerus, P. pruinosus, P. pseudoputus, P. pseudospectabilis, P. pudicus, P. pumilus, P. purpusii, P. putus, P. radicosus, P. rattanii, P. retrorsus, P. rhizomatosus, P. richardsonii, P. roezlii, P. rostriflorus, P. rubicundus, P. rupicola, P. rydbergii, P. saxosorum, P. scapoides, P. scariosus, P. secundiflorus, P. seorsus, P. sepalulus, P. serrulatus, P. smallii, P. spatulatus, P. speciosus, P. spectabilis, P. stenophyllus, P. stephensii, P. strictiformis, P. strictus, P. subglaber, P. subserratus, P. subulatus, P. sudans, P. superbus, P. tenuiflorus, P. tenuis, P. teucrioides, P. thompsoniae, P. thurberi, P. tidestromii, P. tiehmii, P. tracyi, P. triflorus, P. triphyllus, P. tubaeflorus, P. uintahensis, P. utahensis, P. venustus, P. virens, P. virgatus, P. wardii, P. washingtonensis, P. watsonii, P. whippleanus, P. wilcoxii, P. wrightii, P. xylus, P. yampaënsis
P. abietinus, P. absarokensis, P. acaulis, P. acuminatus, P. alamosensis, P. albertinus, P. albidus, P. albomarginatus, P. ambiguus, P. ammophilus, P. anguineus, P. angustifolius, P. arenarius, P. arenicola, P. aridus, P. arkansanus, P. attenuatus, P. atwoodii, P. auriberbis, P. australis, P. azureus, P. baccharifolius, P. barbatus, P. barnebyi, P. barrettiae, P. bicolor, P. bleaklyi, P. breviculus, P. brevisepalus, P. buckleyi, P. caesius, P. caespitosus, P. calcareus, P. californicus, P. calycosus, P. canescens, P. cardinalis, P. cardwellii, P. carnosus, P. caryi, P. centranthifolius, P. cinicola, P. clevelandii, P. clutei, P. cobaea, P. comarrhenus, P. compactus, P. concinnus, P. confertus, P. confusus, P. crandallii, P. cusickii, P. cyananthus, P. cyaneus, P. cyanocaulis, P. cyathophorus, P. dasyphyllus, P. davidsonii, P. deamii, P. deaveri, P. debilis, P. degeneri, P. deustus, P. digitalis, P. diphyllus, P. discolor, P. dissectus, P. distans, P. dolius, P. duchesnensis, P. eatonii, P. elegantulus, P. ellipticus, P. eriantherus, P. euglaucus, P. fendleri, P. filiformis, P. flavescens, P. floribundus, P. floridus, P. flowersii, P. franklinii, P. fremontii, P. fruticiformis, P. fruticosus, P. gairdneri, P. gibbensii, P. glaber, P. glandulosus, P. glaucinus, P. globosus, P. goodrichii, P. gormanii, P. gracilentus, P. gracilis, P. grahamii, P. grandiflorus, P. griffinii, P. grinnellii, P. guadalupensis, P. hallii, P. harbourii, P. harringtonii, P. havardii, P. haydenii, P. heterodoxus, P. heterophyllus, P. hirsutus, P. humilis, P. idahoensis, P. immanifestus, P. incertus, P. inflatus, P. jamesii, P. janishiae, P. kingii, P. kralii, P. labrosus, P. laetus, P. laevigatus, P. laevis, P. lanceolatus, P. laricifolius, P. laxiflorus, P. laxus, P. leiophyllus, P. lemhiensis, P. lentus, P. leonardii, P. linarioides, P. longiflorus, P. lyallii, P. marcusii, P. mensarum, P. metcalfei, P. miser, P. moffatii, P. monoensis, P. montanus, P. moriahensis, P. mucronatus, P. multiflorus, P. murrayanus, P. nanus, P. navajoa, P. neomexicanus, P. neotericus, P. newberryi, P. nitidus, P. nudiflorus, P. oklahomensis, P. oliganthus, P. ophianthus, P. osterhoutii, P. ovatus, P. pachyphyllus, P. pahutensis, P. pallidus, P. palmeri, P. papillatus, P. parryi, P. parvulus, P. parvus, P. patens, P. payettensis, P. paysoniorum, P. peckii, P. penlandii, P. pennellianus, P. perpulcher, P. personatus, P. petiolatus, P. pinifolius, P. pinorum, P. platyphyllus, P. pratensis, P. procerus, P. pruinosus, P. pseudoputus, P. pseudospectabilis, P. pudicus, P. pumilus, P. purpusii, P. putus, P. radicosus, P. rattanii, P. retrorsus, P. rhizomatosus, P. richardsonii, P. roezlii, P. rostriflorus, P. rubicundus, P. rupicola, P. rydbergii, P. saxosorum, P. scapoides, P. scariosus, P. secundiflorus, P. seorsus, P. sepalulus, P. serrulatus, P. smallii, P. spatulatus, P. speciosus, P. spectabilis, P. stenophyllus, P. stephensii, P. strictiformis, P. strictus, P. subglaber, P. subserratus, P. subulatus, P. sudans, P. superbus, P. tenuiflorus, P. tenuis, P. teucrioides, P. thompsoniae, P. thurberi, P. tidestromii, P. tiehmii, P. tracyi, P. triflorus, P. triphyllus, P. tubaeflorus, P. uintahensis, P. utahensis, P. venustus, P. virens, P. virgatus, P. wardii, P. washingtonensis, P. watsonii, P. whippleanus, P. wilcoxii, P. wrightii, P. xylus, P. yampaënsis
Subordinate taxa
P. cardinalis var. cardinalis, P. cardinalis var. regalis
Name authority Wooton & Standley: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 16: 171. (1913) — (as Pentstemon) D. D. Keck: Leafl. W. Bot. 1: 82. (1934)
Web links