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upright blue beardtongue, wandbloom penstemon

California beardtongue, California penstemon

Stems

erect, sometimes ascending, (12–)20–65(–90) cm, glabrous or puberulent, not glaucous.

ascending to erect, (5–)8–30 cm, retrorsely hairy, hairs white, scalelike.

Leaves

basal and cauline or, often, basal absent, not leathery, glabrous or puberulent, not or slightly glaucous;

basal and proximal cauline (20–)60–114 × (3–)12–21 mm, blade oblanceolate or lanceolate, rarely linear, base tapered, margins entire, apex obtuse to acute;

cauline 5–11 pairs, sessile, 40–118 × 3–17 mm, blade lanceolate, base tapered to truncate, apex obtuse to acute.

± leathery or not, densely retrorsely hairy, hairs appressed, white, scalelike;

cauline 10–30 pairs, petiolate, 8–16 × 1.5–2.5 mm, blade oblanceolate, base tapered, apex mucronate.

Thyrses

continuous, sometimes interrupted, secund, (3–)6–40 cm, axis glabrous or retrorsely hairy, verticillasters (3–)6–14, cymes 2–5-flowered, 2 per node;

proximal bracts lanceolate to linear, 19–74(–98) × 2–10 mm;

peduncles and pedicels glabrous or retrorsely hairy.

interrupted or continuous, secund, (1–)2–9 cm, axis retrorsely hairy with appressed, white, scalelike hairs, verticillasters 2–13, cymes 1–4-flowered, 1 per node;

proximal bracts oblanceolate, 2–10 × 0.5–1.5 mm;

peduncles and pedicels spreading to ascending, retrorsely hairy with appressed, white, scalelike hairs, and sparsely glandular-pubescent.

Flowers

calyx lobes ovate to elliptic, 2.2–5 × 1.3–2.2 mm, glabrous or puberulent;

corolla violet to lavender, pink-lavender, or purple, with reddish purple nectar guides, ventricose, 17–27 mm, glabrous externally, sparsely white-villous, rarely glabrous, internally abaxially, tube 5–8 mm, throat gradually to abruptly inflated, slightly constricted at orifice, 6–8 mm diam., rounded abaxially;

stamens: longer pair slightly exserted, pollen sacs divergent to opposite, navicular, 1.5–1.8 mm, dehiscing completely or incompletely, connective splitting or not, sides glabrous, sutures smooth or papillate;

staminode 12–14 mm, reaching orifice or exserted, 0.7–1.2 mm diam., tip straight, glabrous;

style 13–15 mm.

calyx lobes ovate, 3.5–5.5 × 1.5–2 mm, scarious-margined, retrorsely hairy with appressed, white, scalelike hairs, and sparsely glandular-pubescent;

corolla purple to violet, lined internally abaxially with reddish purple nectar guides, tubular-funnelform, 14–18 mm, sparsely white-lanate internally abaxially, tube 5–6 mm, throat gradually inflated, 4.5–6 mm diam., 2-ridged abaxially;

stamens included, filaments glabrous or sparsely puberulent and sometimes with appressed, white, scalelike hairs proximally, pollen sacs opposite, navicular, 0.9–1.4 mm, sutures papillate;

staminode 7–9 mm, reaching orifice or exserted, flattened distally, 0.3–0.4 mm diam., tip straight to recurved, distal 4–5 mm pilose, hairs yellow, to 0.7 mm;

style 9–11 mm.

Capsules

9–14 × 4–8 mm.

5–7 × 4–5 mm.

Penstemon virgatus

Penstemon californicus

Phenology Flowering May–Jul(–Aug).
Habitat Sandy or gravelly soils, pine-juniper woodlands, pine forests.
Elevation 1200–2300 m. (3900–7500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Penstemon virgatus is treated here to include two essentially allopatric varieties. F. S. Crosswhite (1967c) circumscribed the species more broadly, including as subspecies two additional taxa treated here as species: P. pseudoputus and P. putus.

Whole plants or roots of Penstemon virgatus are used by the Ramah Navajo of western New Mexico as a medicine (D. E. Moerman 1998).

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

In California, Penstemon californicus is known from the San Jacinto Mountains in Orange and Riverside counties; it also occurs in the Sierra San Pedro Mártir in Baja California. The chromosome number of 2n = 16 reported by N. H. Holmgren (1993) is likely an error based on a count for Scrophularia californica reported in P. H. Raven et al. (1965) and later misattributed to P. californicus by D. V. Clark (1971) as n = 48 (the count listed in Raven et al.), and then corrected to 2n = 16.

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

Key
1. Stems puberulent; leaves ± puberulent.
var. virgatus
1. Stems glabrous; leaves glabrous.
var. asa-grayi
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 182. FNA vol. 17, p. 101.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Penstemon > subg. Penstemon > sect. Glabri 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. 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. 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. 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. virgatus var. asa-grayi, P. virgatus var. virgatus
Synonyms P. linarioides var. californicus
Name authority A. Gray: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 113. (1859) — (as Pentstemon) (Munz & I. M. Johnston) D. D. Keck: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 64: 378. (1937)
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