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mat-root beardtongue, matroot penstemon

mucronate penstemon, sheep creek beardtongue

Habit Herbs.
Stems

ascending to erect, (15–)20–42 cm, retrorsely hairy or puberulent, not glaucous.

ascending to erect, 10–35(–46) cm, glabrous.

Leaves

essentially cauline, basal absent or poorly developed, not leathery, ± puberulent;

cauline (4 or)5–8 pairs, sessile, (20–)30–65 × (2–)4–10(–20) mm, blade ovate to lanceolate, base tapered, margins entire, apex obtuse to acute.

basal and cauline, glabrous;

basal and proximal cauline 23–65(–100) × (9–)13–40 mm, blade oblanceolate, base tapered, apex rounded to obtuse or acute;

cauline (2–)4–6(–9) pairs, sessile, (8–)20–30 × 8–26 mm, blade ovate to orbiculate, base clasping, apex mucronate.

Thyrses

interrupted or continuous, cylindric, 5–14 cm, axis glandular-pubescent, verticillasters (2 or)3–6, cymes 2–4(–8)-flowered, 2 per node;

proximal bracts lanceolate to linear, 7–46 × 1–10(–20) mm, margins entire;

peduncles and pedicels ascending to erect, glandular-pubescent.

interrupted, cylindric, (2–)11–18(–27) cm, axis glabrous, verticillasters 6–9(–15), cymes 2–6-flowered;

proximal bracts orbiculate to ovate, 7–28 × 3–26 mm;

peduncles and pedicels glabrous.

Flowers

calyx lobes lanceolate, 5–8 × 1.2–2.5 mm, glandular-pubescent;

corolla blue to dark blue, purple, or violet, with reddish purple nectar guides, bilabiate, not personate, funnelform, 16–23 mm, glandular-pubescent externally, moderately yellowish lanate internally abaxially, tube 4.5–6 mm, throat slightly inflated, 4–6 mm diam., 2-ridged abaxially;

stamens included, pollen sacs opposite, navicular to subexplanate, 0.8–1.3 mm, dehiscing completely, connective splitting, sides glabrous, sutures papillate;

staminode 10–12 mm, included, 0.3–0.4 mm diam., tip straight, distal 1 mm densely pilose or lanate, hairs yellow, to 1.4 mm, remaining distal 4–5 mm sparsely pilose, hairs yellow, to 0.5 mm;

style 11–14 mm.

calyx lobes ovate, (3–)4.5–6.5 × 1.5–2.3 mm, margins entire or erose, broadly scarious, glabrous;

corolla blue to violet, with reddish violet nectar guides, guides sometimes passing onto limb, tubular-funnelform, (10–)13–17(–20) mm, glabrous externally, sparsely white-villous internally abaxially, tube (5–)7–10 mm, throat gradually inflated, 4.5–5.5(–7) mm diam., rounded abaxially;

stamens included or longer pair reaching orifice, pollen sacs divergent to opposite, 0.7–1.1 mm, sutures papillate;

staminode 7–13 mm, reaching orifice, (0.6–)0.9–1.9 mm diam., tip strongly recurved, distal 2–5 mm moderately to densely pilose, hairs brownish yellow or golden yellow, to 1 mm;

style (7–)9–12 mm.

Capsules

5–8 × 3.5–5 mm, glabrous.

8–10 × 6–7 mm.

2n

= 16.

= 16.

Penstemon radicosus

Penstemon mucronatus

Phenology Flowering May–Jul. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Rocky flats, slopes, ravines, sagebrush shrublands, pine woodlands. Sandy or gravelly soils, juniper and pinyon-juniper woodlands.
Elevation 1500–2400 m. (4900–7900 ft.) 1500–2500 m. (4900–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; NV; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Penstemon radicosus is known from the Central Rocky Mountains and mountain ranges in the northern Great Basin. The species is most likely to be confused with P. laxus or P. watsonii.

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

Penstemon mucronatus is known from Moffat and Rio Blanco counties, Colorado, Daggett and Uintah counties, Utah, and Carbon and Sweetwater counties, Wyoming. E. C. Neese (1993) considered it transitional to P. pachyphyllus var. pachyphyllus in northeastern Utah and treated it as a variety of that species. The two taxa often have similar leaf morphologies; P. mucronatus usually is easily distinguished from P. pachyphyllus var. pachyphyllus by its narrower staminode bearing shorter, less tangled hairs at the apex and nectar guides that extend onto the corolla limbs. Flowers of P. mucronatus are in many respects more similar to those of P. osterhoutii than they are to those of P. pachyphyllus. A chromosome count reported for P. pachyphyllus by F. S. Crosswhite and S. Kawano (1965) is referable to P. mucronatus.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 219. FNA vol. 17, p. 121.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Penstemon > subg. Penstemon > sect. Penstemon 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. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms P. pachyphyllus var. mucronatus
Name authority A. Nelson: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 25: 280. (1898) — (as Pentstemon) N. H. Holmgren: Brittonia 31: 234, fig. 10. (1979)
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