Penstemon strictus

Rocky Mountain penstemon
Garden plant
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Penstemon
Species: P. strictus
Binomial name
Penstemon strictus
Benth.

Penstemon strictus, the Rocky Mountain penstemon, is a penstemon (common name beardtongue) with showy blue flowers.

Description

This species is a herbaceous perennial with a few stems rising nearly straight up from a thick crown. The leaves are long and narrow, with stem leaves smaller and especially narrower than the basal leaves. The leaves are entire and smooth, or possibly downy near the petiole. The inflorescence is a spike (technically a thyrse of 4 to 10 verticillasters). The corolla is 24 to 32 mm (1 to 1.5 inches) long, deep blue with a violet tube, and smooth.[1] The two upper petals point straight along the tube, like a porch roof (hence the seldom-used name "porch penstemon").[2] The seed capsules are 8 to 13 mm long.[1]

Subspecies

A downy (puberulent) form has been called P. strictus subsp. angustus Pennell.[1]

Distribution and habitat

This flower is native to the region from southern Wyoming and western Colorado south to northeastern Arizona and northern New Mexico[1] with an isolated population in Mono County, California[3] It is found in piñon-juniper woods, with scrub oak, or in open areas in ponderosa pine and spruce-aspen forest, often associated with sagebrush.[1]

Horticulture

Because of its combination of showy flowers, tolerance for drought, and hardiness, Rocky Mountain penstemon is often grown as an ornamental in dry regions.[3][4] The coldest region where it is hardy is given as USDA zone 3[5] or 4.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Arthur Cronquist; Arthur H. Holmgren; Noel H. Holmgren; James L. Reveal; Patricia K. Holmgren (1984). Intermountain Flora; Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A., vol. 4. Subclass Asteridae (except Asteraceae). The New York Botanical Garden. pp. 443–444. ISBN 0-231-04120-9.
  2. ↑ Theodore F. Niehaus; Charles L. Ripper & Virginia Savage (1984). A Field Guide to Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers. Houghton Mifflin Company. pp. 350–351. ISBN 0-395-36640-2.
  3. 1 2 USDA, NRCS. 2007. The PLANTS Database, 11 June 2007). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
  4. ↑ Judith Phillips (1998). The New Mexico Gardener's Guide. Cool Springs Press. pp. 196–197. ISBN 1-888608-55-2.
  5. ↑ "Wildflower Botanical Names - Alphabetic Listing". Wildflower Information.org. Retrieved 2007-06-11. Also various catalogs.
  6. ↑ "Wildflower Fever!—A Selection of Unusual Natives". Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Archived from the original on 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2007-06-11. Also various catalogs.
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