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pine-leaf beardtongue, pineneedle beardtongue, pineneedle penstemon

Habit Subshrubs, usually cespitose.
Stems

retrorsely hairy, rarely glabrous, not glaucous.

erect, (5–)10–50 cm, glabrous or retrorsely hairy, hairs pointed.

Leaves

cauline, rarely basal and cauline (P. retrorsus), opposite, leathery or not, glabrous, glabrate, pubescent, scabrous, puberulent, or retrorsely hairy, not glaucous;

basal and proximal cauline petiolate;

cauline petiolate or sessile, blade obovate, spatulate, oblanceolate, lanceolate, elliptic, or linear, margins entire.

leathery, sparsely retrorsely hairy, hairs pointed, especially along margins, or glabrous;

cauline 10–30 pairs, sessile, 4–32 × 0.5–1.2 mm, blade linear, base tapered to clasping, apex acuminate.

Thyrses

continuous or interrupted, cylindric or secund, axis retrorsely hairy, glandular-pubescent, or puberulent and glandular-pubescent, rarely glabrous, cymes 1 or 2 per node;

peduncles and pedicels spreading to ascending or erect.

interrupted, secund, (1–)3–15 cm, axis retrorsely hairy to puberulent, or glabrous, verticillasters 1–7, cymes 1–3-flowered, 1(or 2) per node;

proximal bracts linear, 3–14 × 0.3–1 mm;

peduncles and pedicels ascending to erect, glandular-pubescent, sometimes puberulent.

Flowers

calyx tube 0.2–1 mm (1.5–2 mm in P. retrorsus), lobes: margins entire or erose, ± scarious or herbaceous, glandular-pubescent or retrorsely hairy, rarely glabrate;

corolla lavender, blue, violet, or purple, rarely scarlet, bilaterally symmetric, bilabiate, not personate, funnelform, tubular-funnelform, salverform, ventricose-ampliate, or ampliate, glandular-pubescent externally, hairy internally abaxially, rarely glabrous, throat slightly to abruptly inflated, not constricted at orifice, 2-ridged abaxially;

stamens included to exserted, filaments glabrous, rarely sparsely glandular-puberulent proximally, pollen sacs opposite, rarely divergent, navicular to subexplanate or explanate, dehiscing completely, connective splitting, sides glabrous, sutures papillate or smooth;

staminode included to exserted, ± flattened distally, 0.1–0.5 mm diam., tip straight to recurved, distal (20–)50–100% hairy, hairs to 0.7–1.3 mm;

style glabrous.

calyx lobes lanceolate, 5–7 × 1.5–2 mm, scarious-margined, glandular-pubescent, hairs pointed;

corolla scarlet, throat sometimes yellow or yellow- or orange-spotted, unlined internally, salverform, 25–32 mm, yellow-lanate internally abaxially, tube 4–6 mm, throat slightly inflated, 4–5 mm diam., slightly 2-ridged abaxially;

stamens exserted (often hidden by galeate adaxial lobes), filaments glabrous, pollen sacs opposite, explanate, 0.8–1 mm, sutures smooth;

staminode 12–17 mm, included, slightly flattened distally, 0.1–0.2 mm diam., tip straight, distal 9–10 mm densely pilose, hairs yellow, to 1.3 mm;

style 21–27 mm.

Capsules

glabrous.

5–9 × 3–4 mm.

Seeds

dark brown to black, angled to rounded, 1.1–2.1 mm.

2n

= 16.

Penstemon sect. Caespitosi

Penstemon pinifolius

Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul(–Sep).
Habitat Rocky slopes, cliffs.
Elevation 1800–3100 m. (5900–10200 ft.)
Distribution
w United States; nw Mexico
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species 11 (11 in the flora).

Most species of sect. Caespitosi formed a clade in the molecular study by A. D. Wolfe et al. (2006); placement of the clade within subg. Penstemon is not clear.

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

Penstemon pinifolius has been included as an anomalous member of sect. Leptostemon Trautvetter; R. M. Straw (1962) expressed doubt about that association. It was allied with members of sect. Caespitosi in the molecular study by A. D. Wolfe et al. (2006).

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

Key
1. Corollas salverform, scarlet (throats sometimes yellow or yellow- or orange-spotted).
P. pinifolius
1. Corollas tubular-funnelform, funnelform, ampliate, or ventricose-ampliate, lavender, blue, violet, or purple.
→ 2
2. Leaves glabrous or retrorsely hairy, hairs appressed, white, scalelike.
→ 3
3. Stems prostrate, spreading, or ascending; cauline leaves 1–5 pairs.
→ 4
4. Leaves densely retrorsely hairy, hairs appressed, white, scalelike; pollen sacs 0.8–1.2(–1.4) mm; Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah.
P. thompsoniae
4. Leaves glabrous or sparsely hairy, hairs appressed, white, scalelike abaxially, ± densely hairy, hairs appressed, white, scalelike adaxially; pollen sacs 0.6–0.8 mm; Utah.
P. xylus
3. Stems ascending to erect; cauline leaves 6–30 pairs.
→ 5
5. Leaves glabrous, rarely sparsely retrorsely hairy, hairs white, scalelike abaxially, densely puberulent, hairs white, scalelike adaxially; corollas 9–14 mm; pollen sacs 0.5–0.8 mm; Arizona.
P. discolor
5. Leaves sparsely to densely retrorsely hairy, hairs appressed, white, scalelike; corollas 14–20 mm; pollen sacs 0.9–1.4 mm; Arizona, California, New Mexico.
→ 6
6. Corollas tubular-funnelform, 14–18 mm, purple to violet; California.
P. californicus
6. Corollas ventricose-ampliate, 16–20 mm, blue to lavender; Arizona, New Mexico.
P. linarioides
2. Leaves glabrous, glabrate, or hairy, hairs pointed.
→ 7
7. Calyx tubes 1.5–2 mm; proximal bracts oblanceolate.
P. retrorsus
7. Calyx tubes 0.2–1 mm; proximal bracts oblanceolate to linear.
→ 8
8. Calyx lobes herbaceous- or narrowly scarious-margined.
→ 9
9. Stems and leaves not cinereous; leaf blades obovate to spatulate, oblanceolate, or linear; Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming.
P. caespitosus
9. Stems and leaves cinereous; leaf blades linear; Colorado.
P. teucrioides
8. Calyx lobes broadly scarious-margined.
→ 10
10. Corollas ventricose-ampliate; calyx lobe apices acute to acuminate.
P. linarioides
10. Corollas funnelform; calyx lobe apices acuminate to caudate.
→ 11
11. Leaf blades linear, rarely oblanceolate; stems ascending to erect; corollas glabrous or sparsely white-villous internally abaxially; Utah.
P. abietinus
11. Leaf blades elliptic to obovate, oblanceolate, or linear; stems prostrate, decumbent, ascending, or erect; corollas sparsely to densely yellow-lanate or yellow-pilose internally abaxially; Colorado, New Mexico, Utah.
P. crandallii
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 98. FNA vol. 17, p. 105.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Penstemon > subg. Penstemon Plantaginaceae > Penstemon > subg. Penstemon > sect. Caespitosi
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. 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. abietinus, P. caespitosus, P. californicus, P. crandallii, P. discolor, P. linarioides, P. pinifolius, P. retrorsus, P. teucrioides, P. thompsoniae, P. xylus
Synonyms P.
Name authority (Rydberg) Pennell: Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 20: 327, 334. (1920) Greene: Bot. Gaz. 6: 218. (1881) — (as Pentstemon)
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