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

thick-leaf beardtongue, thickleaf penstemon

Penland's beardtongue

Stems

ascending to erect, (10–)15–57 cm, glabrous.

ascending to erect, 7–25 cm, retrorsely hairy or puberulent, not glaucous.

Leaves

basal and cauline, glabrous;

basal and proximal cauline 18–180 × 5–45(–53) mm, blade spatulate to lanceolate, base tapered, apex rounded to obtuse, acute, or mucronate;

cauline 2–5 pairs, short-petiolate or sessile, 15–80 × 7–32 mm, blade obovate, ovate, oblanceolate, or lanceolate, base tapered, clasping, or cordate-clasping, apex acute to rounded or mucronate.

basal and cauline, not leathery, puberulent or retrorsely hairy, not glaucous;

basal and proximal cauline 15–80 × 0.8–2 mm, blade linear, base tapered, margins entire, apex obtuse to acute;

cauline 1–3 pairs, sessile, 10–75 × 0.5–1.5 mm, blade linear, base tapered, apex acute.

Thyrses

continuous or interrupted, cylindric, (5–)9–27 cm, axis glabrous, verticillasters (2–)4–10, cymes (1–)3–6-flowered;

proximal bracts ovate to lanceolate or oblong, 9–46 × 7–15 mm;

peduncles and pedicels glabrous, peduncles to 26 mm.

continuous, secund, 3–10 cm, axis glandular-pubescent, verticillasters 2–6, cymes 1- or 2(–4)-flowered, 2 per node;

proximal bracts linear, 10–56 × 0.5–1.5 mm;

peduncles and pedicels glandular-pubescent.

Flowers

calyx lobes ovate to lanceolate, (2.5–)4–7 × 1.8–2.8 mm, margins entire or erose, broadly scarious, apex acute to acuminate or caudate, glabrous;

corolla blue to violet, sometimes lavender, with or without reddish violet nectar guides, tubular-funnelform to ventricose, 12–20 mm, glabrous externally, glabrous internally or sparsely white-villous abaxially, tube 4–6 mm, throat gradually inflated, 5–6 mm diam., rounded abaxially;

stamens included or longer pair reaching orifice, pollen sacs opposite, (0.7–)1–1.5 mm, sutures smooth or papillate;

staminode 8–12 mm, reaching orifice or slightly exserted, (0.2–)0.5–2 mm diam., tip recurved, prominently bifurcate, distal 4–8 mm densely villous, hairs yellow to golden yellow, to 2.5 mm;

style 11–15 mm.

calyx lobes lanceolate, 4.5–5.5 × 1.8–2.5 mm, glabrous to sparsely glandular;

corolla blue to bluish violet, with reddish purple nectar guides, funnelform, 13–16 mm, glabrous externally, glabrous internally, tube 5–6 mm, throat gradually inflated, not constricted at orifice, 4.5–5.5 mm diam., rounded abaxially;

stamens included, pollen sacs divergent to opposite, navicular, 1.1–1.5 mm, dehiscing incompletely, connective not splitting, sides moderately hirsute, hairs white, to 0.5 mm, sutures denticulate, teeth to 0.1 mm;

staminode 8–9 mm, included, 0.9–1.1 mm diam., tip straight, distal 6–7 mm densely pubescent, hairs yellowish orange, to 0.9 mm;

style 8–10 mm.

Capsules

10–14 × 5–7 mm.

6–9(–14) × 4–6 mm.

Seeds

2–3 mm.

Penstemon pachyphyllus

Penstemon penlandii

Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat Clayey soils, sagebrush shrublands.
Elevation 2300–2400 m. (7500–7900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NV; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

E. C. Neese (1993) considered Penstemon mucronatus transitional to P. pachyphyllus var. pachyphyllus in northeastern Utah. Penstemon mucronatus is distinguished from P. pachyphyllus var. pachyphyllus by its narrower staminodes bearing shorter, less tangled hairs, and its nectar guides extending onto the corolla limbs.

The Havasupai tribe of northwestern Arizona uses leaves of Penstemon pachyphyllus to make a deer call for hunting (D. E. Moerman 1998).

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

Penstemon penlandii is known from Middle Park in Grand County. Plants grow on strongly seleniferous shales of the Troublesome Formation (S. L. O’Kane 1988). The species is listed as endangered by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

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

Key
1. Staminodes 8–9 × 1–2 mm, distal 6–8 mm densely villous, hairs to 2.5 mm; Utah.
var. pachyphyllus
1. Staminodes 10–12 × (0.2–)0.5–1 mm, distal 4–7 mm densely villous, hairs to 1.5 mm; Arizona, Nevada, Utah.
var. congestus
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 123. FNA vol. 17, p. 176.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Penstemon > subg. Penstemon > sect. Coerulei Plantaginaceae > Penstemon > subg. Penstemon > sect. Glabri
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. 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. 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. bracteatus, 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. 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. pachyphyllus var. congestus, P. pachyphyllus var. pachyphyllus
Synonyms P. nitidus var. major
Name authority A. Gray ex Rydberg: Fl. Rocky Mts., 770, 1066. (1917) — (as Pentstemon) W. A. Weber: Phytologia 60: 459. (1986)
Web links