Penstemon petiolatus
| Penstemon petiolatus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area, Washington County, Utah | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Penstemon |
| Species: | P. petiolatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Penstemon petiolatus | |
Penstemon petiolatus, the crevice penstemon, is an evergreen plant with a somewhat shrubby character from the western US states of Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
Description
The crevice penstemon is a low growing shrub-like plant with evergreen leaves,[2] typically growing 5 to 25 centimeters (2–10 in) tall but occasionally reaching as much as 40 cm (16 in),[3] the width can be nearly 60 cm (24 in).[4] The stems branch freely with a herbaceous character and are blue-green towards the ends and more woody with a rough texture and somewhat black in color towards the base.[5]
The blue-green leaves are somewhat thick and sharply toothed,[5] with the teeth ranging from symmetrical to somewhat asymmetrical and pointing forward.[3] Each stem can have two to four leaf pairs and all the leaves fold inward along the primary vein. [3] All but the uppermost pair of leaves are attached by petioles, short leaf stems.[4] They are 1.4–3.5 centimeters (0.5–1.5 in) in length, though usually not longer than 3 cm (1 in), and 0.6 to 1.7 cm wide.[3]
When blooming plants are generously covered in flowers that are magenta pink.[2] Each flower is 1.3–1.7 centimeters long, marked with violet floral guide lines, and somewhat covered in glandular hairs on the outside. Inside the flower tube it has a small number of long, soft, off-white to pale yellow hairs on the lower surface.[3] The staminode is covered in short yellow hairs and extends out of the flower's opening, slightly.[5]
Taxonomy
In 1899 botanist Townshend Stith Brandegee described a new species in the genus Penstemon which he named Penstemon petiolatus. Together with its genus it is classified in the Plantaginaceae family and the species has no varieties or botanical synonyms.[6]
Names
The scientific name, petiolatus, is Botanical Latin describing the fact that its leaves have stems called petioles.[2] Penstemon petiolatus is known by the common name crevice penstemon,[5] but is also called the petiolate beardtongue.[3]
Range and habitat
Crevice penstemons are native to the states of Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.[3] In Nevada they grow near Mount Charleston, in the Desert Range, and the Sheep Range in southern Nevada.[4] In Arizona they are known from the Virgin Mountains and the Beaver Dam Mountains in both Arizona and southwestern Utah. They can be found at elevations of 1,000–1,700 meters (3,300–5,600 ft).[3]
The species grows from cracks in limestone in the desert in areas of shadscale or blackbrush scrub as well as in the pinyon–juniper woodlands.[4]
References
Citations
Sources
Books
- Cronquist, Arthur; Holmgren, Arthur H.; Holmgren, Noel H.; Reveal, James L.; Holmgren, Patricia K. (1984). Intermountain Flora : Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A.. Vol. Four. Subclass Asteridae (except Asteraceae). New York: Published for the New York Botanical Garden by Hafner Pub. Co. ISBN 978-0-89327-248-7. OCLC 320442. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- Lindgren, Dale Tennis; Wilde, Ellen; American Penstemon Society (2003). Growing Penstemons : Species, Cultivars, and Hybrids (First ed.). Haverford, Pennsylvania: Infinity Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7414-1529-5. LCCN 2004272722. OCLC 54110971. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- Welsh, Stanley L.; Atwood, N. Duane; Goodrich, Sherel; Higgins, Larry C. (1987). A Utah Flora. Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs, No. 9 (First ed.). Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University. JSTOR 23377658. OCLC 9986953694. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
Web sources
- Freeman, Craig C. (2020) [In print 2019]. "Penstemon petiolatus". Flora of North America. p. 228. ISBN 978-0-19-086851-2. OCLC 1101573420. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link) - NatureServe (1 May 2026). "Penstemon petiolatus". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- POWO (2026). "Penstemon petiolatus Brandegee". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
External links
