Penstemon crandallii
Penstemon subg. Penstemon
Crandall's beardtongue
prostrate, decumbent, ascending, or erect, 2–28 cm, retrorsely hairy or pubescent.
not leathery, glabrous, glabrate, scabrous, or pubescent, hairs pointed;
cauline (1 or)2–4 pairs, petiolate, (2–)4–47 × 0.5–8 mm, blade elliptic to obovate, oblanceolate, or linear, base tapered, apex acute to mucronate.
continuous, ± secund, 1–8(–16) cm, axis retrorsely hairy, hairs pointed and, usually, sparsely glandular-pubescent, verticillasters (1 or)2–8, cymes 1–4-flowered, 1 or 2 per node;
proximal bracts oblanceolate to linear, 10–25 × 0.5–4 mm;
peduncles and pedicels ascending to erect, retrorsely hairy and, usually, sparsely glandular-pubescent.
calyx lobes lanceolate, 4–7(–7.5) × 0.9–1.8(–2.2) mm, broadly scarious-margined, apex acuminate to caudate, retrorsely puberulent, hairs pointed, and sparsely glandular-pubescent;
corolla blue to violet or lavender, lined internally abaxially with violet or reddish purple nectar guides, funnelform, 14–20 mm, sparsely to densely yellow-lanate or yellow-pilose internally abaxially, tube 6–8 mm, throat gradually inflated, 6–8 mm diam., 2-ridged abaxially;
stamens: longer pair reaching orifice, filaments glabrous, pollen sacs opposite, navicular to subexplanate, 0.9–1.4 mm, sutures papillate;
staminode 11–14 mm, reaching orifice or exserted, flattened distally, 0.3–0.4 mm diam., tip straight to recurved, distal 7–10 mm densely pilose, hairs golden yellow, to 1 mm;
style 13–15 mm.
pollen sacs navicular, navicular-sigmoid, saccate, or explanate, dehiscing completely or incompletely, connective splitting or not, sides glabrous or hairy, hairs not concealing surface, sutures smooth, papillate, or denticulate;
staminode included to exserted, if included, length 3/4+ times corolla throat.
7–8 × 3.5–4.5 mm.
angled or rounded, rarely angled-elongate, reniform, or disciform, wings absent.
Penstemon crandallii
Penstemon subg. Penstemon
Varieties 5 (5 in the flora).
Penstemon crandallii comprises five partly sympatric, sometimes intergrading varieties.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Species ca. 270 (229 in the flora).
Following the recommendation of A. D. Wolfe et al. (2006), subg. Penstemon is expanded here to include species of Penstemon not included in subg. Dasanthera. Molecular data indicate that some sections as usually circumscribed are paraphyletic. Absent a robust phylogeny for Penstemon, a morphology-based classification is followed here with minor adjustments. As circumscribed here, subg. Penstemon comprises 16 sections, 15 in the flora area.
Section Leptostemon Trautvetter includes 27 species from Mexico and Guatemala. Among its members are Penstemon campanulatus (Cavanilles) Willdenow, P. gentianoides (Kunth) Poiret, and P. hartwegii Bentham, three red- or purple-flowered species popular among European plant breeders in the nineteenth century and used in the development of European hybrid penstemons (R. Nold 1999; D. Lindgren and E. Wilde 2003).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaves glabrous or sparsely puberulent, especially along margins, blades obovate to elliptic; stems prostrate or decumbent; Colorado. | var. procumbens |
1. Leaves glabrate or scabrous to pubescent, blades linear, oblanceolate, or obovate; stems decumbent, ascending, or erect; Colorado, New Mexico, Utah. | → 2 |
2. Leaf blades obovate or oblanceolate; stems decumbent to ascending. | → 3 |
3. Leaves glabrate or scabrous, blades oblanceolate; Colorado, Utah. | var. crandallii |
3. Leaves ± scabrous, blades obovate or oblanceolate; Utah. | var. atratus |
2. Leaf blades linear to oblanceolate; stems ascending to erect. | → 4 |
4. Stems retrorsely hairy or puberulent, ascending to erect; Colorado, New Mexico. | var. glabrescens |
4. Stems puberulent to pubescent, erect; Colorado. | var. ramaleyi |
Key to Sections of subg. Penstemon
1. Cauline leaf blade margins deeply pinnatifid to nearly pinnatisect. | P. sect. Dissecti |
1. Cauline leaf blade margins entire or toothed, rarely laciniate-pinnatifid. | → 2 |
2. Subshrubs or shrubs; staminodes glabrous; corollas pink, red, scarlet, or magenta, rarely lavender or violet. | → 3 |
3. Cauline leaf blades linear and pollen sacs explanate. | P. sect. Ambigui |
3. Cauline leaf blades obovate, ovate, oblanceolate, lanceolate, elliptic, or linear; pollen sacs navicular, saccate, subexplanate, or explanate. | → 4 |
4. Pollen sacs subexplanate to explanate, opposite; corollas weakly ventricose; thyrses cylindric; leaves glaucous. | P. sect. Petiolati |
4. Pollen sacs saccate or navicular, parallel or divergent; corollas salverform or funnelform; thyrses secund; leaves not glaucous. | → 5 |
5. Cauline leaf margins toothed or entire; corollas funnelform, glandular-pubescent internally abaxially and adaxially; cymes 1 per node; Texas. | P. sect. Baccharifolii |
5. Cauline leaf margins entire; corollas salverform, hairy internally abaxially; cymes 2 per node; Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah. | P. sect. Bridgesiani |
2. Herbs, shrubs, or subshrubs; staminodes hairy distally or glabrous; corollas usually white, lavender, lilac, blue, violet, purple, ochroleucous, yellow, orange, or crimson, if pink, red, scarlet, or magenta, herbs and/or staminodes hairy, or both. | → 6 |
6. Pollen sacs saccate, dehiscing incompletely, distal 1/5–2/3 indehiscent, connectives splitting, rarely not. | → 7 |
7. Pollen sac sutures papillate; herbs. | P. sect. Penstemon |
7. Pollen sac sutures denticulate; herbs or subshrubs. | → 8 |
8. Herbs; pollen sac sides glabrous; staminodes glabrous, tips recurved; cauline leaf blade margins entire; thyrses interrupted. | P. sect. Chamaeleon |
8. Herbs or subshrubs; pollen sac sides glabrous or hairy; staminodes glabrous or hairy distally, tips straight; cauline leaf blade margins entire or toothed, rarely laciniate-pinnatifid; thyrses interrupted or continuous. | P. sect. Saccanthera |
6. Pollen sacs navicular, navicular-sigmoid, sigmoid, subexplanate, or explanate, dehiscing completely, if incompletely proximal 1/5–1/2 indehiscent and/or connectives not splitting. | → 9 |
9. Pollen sacs dehiscing incompletely, proximal 1/5–1/2 indehiscent and/or connectives not splitting. | → 10 |
10. Corollas red to scarlet or orange, rarely yellow, glabrous externally. | P. sect. Elmigera |
10. Corollas white to pink, lavender, lilac, blue, violet, or purple, glandular-pubescent or glabrous externally, if corollas reddish pink or rose red, glandular-pubescent externally. | → 11 |
11. Pollen sacs: connectives not splitting, sutures papillate, sides glabrous; corollas tubular-funnelform. | P. sect. Cristati |
11. Pollen sacs: proximal 1/5–1/3 indehiscent and/or connectives not splitting, sutures denticulate, sometimes papillate or smooth, sides glabrous or hairy; corollas funnelform, ventricose, or ventricose-ampliate. | P. sect. Glabri |
9. Pollen sacs dehiscing completely (rarely connectives not splitting in P. incertus). | → 12 |
12. Staminodes glabrous; pollen sacs parallel to divergent, sutures denticulate, teeth to 0.2–0.3 mm. | P. sect. Chamaeleon |
12. Staminodes hairy distally, sometimes glabrous; pollen sacs opposite or divergent, rarely parallel, sutures smooth, papillate, or denticulate, teeth to 0.1–0.2 mm. | → 13 |
13. Subshrubs; leaves cauline, rarely basal and cauline, blade margins entire; stems not glaucous; corollas 2-ridged abaxially. | P. sect. Caespitosi |
13. Herbs, shrubs, or subshrubs; leaves basal and cauline, sometimes basal few or absent, blade margins entire or toothed, if shrubs or subshrubs, leaves basal and cauline or leaf blade margins toothed or stems glaucous; corollas rounded to 2-ridged abaxially. | → 14 |
14. Stems and/or leaves and/or thyrse axes hairy; leaf blades not (or rarely) glaucous, not (or rarely) leathery. | → 15 |
15. Corollas glabrous externally, ventricose or ventricose-ampliate. | P. sect. Glabri |
15. Corollas glandular-pubescent externally, if glabrous then tubular, tubular-funnelform, or funnelform. | → 16 |
16. Corolla throats rounded abaxially, sometimes slightly 2-ridged; staminodes: distal (40–)50–100% hairy, hairs to 4 mm, exserted, sometimes reaching orifice or included, tips straight to recurved or coiled; seeds 1.4–4.8 mm, brown, dark brown, or black. | P. sect. Cristati |
16. Corolla throats slightly to prominently 2-ridged abaxially, rarely rounded; staminodes: distal 5–60(–90)% hairy, hairs to 3 mm, sometimes glabrous, included or reaching orifice, sometimes exserted, tips straight to recurved; seeds 0.4–2(–3.5) mm, tan, brown, gray, or black. | P. sect. Penstemon |
14. Stems, leaves, and thyrse axes glabrous, rarely scabrous; leaf blades glaucous, rarely not, leathery, rarely not. | → 17 |
17. Shrubs or subshrubs; stamen filaments: shorter pair glandular-puberulent proximally. | P. sect. Spectabiles |
17. Herbs; stamen filaments glabrous. | → 18 |
18. Leaf blade margins toothed. | P. sect. Spectabiles |
18. Leaf blade margins entire (rarely remotely and obscurely toothed in P. parryi). | → 19 |
19. Stamens exserted; corollas red, 32–36 mm. | P. sect. Coerulei |
19. Stamens included or longer pair reaching orifice, rarely exserted; corollas lavender to blue, violet, purple, white, pink, lilac, red, scarlet, crimson, magenta, orange, yellow, or ochroleucous, 6–33 mm. | → 20 |
20. Basal and proximal cauline leaf blades linear, 0.5–1.5 mm wide. | P. sect. Cristati |
20. Leaf blades ovate, obovate, lanceolate, oblanceolate, spatulate, trullate, oblong, or elliptic, rarely linear, 1–70 mm wide. | → 21 |
21. Pollen sacs 0.3–1.2 mm, opposite; corollas 7–22 mm, throats 2-ridged abaxially, sometimes rounded. | P. sect. Penstemon |
21. Pollen sacs 0.6–3 mm, opposite, divergent, or parallel; corollas 10–48 mm, throats rounded abaxially, rarely slightly 2-ridged. | → 22 |
22. Pollens sacs navicular; corollas glabrous externally, rarely obscurely glandular (P. carnosus). | P. sect. Coerulei |
22. Pollen sacs explanate, sometimes navicular; corollas glandular-pubescent externally, if glabrous staminode papillate distally, papillae to 0.2 mm. | P. sect. Gentianoides |
SW CO Wildflowers
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