Penstemon arenicola | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Plantaginaceae |
Genus: | Penstemon |
Species: | P. arenicola |
Binomial name | |
Penstemon arenicola | |
Penstemon arenicola, commonly known as Red Desert penstemon, is a species of plant from the Western United States. It primarily grows in Wyoming, but it also grows in small areas of Colorado and Utah. It is a short plant known for growing in sand as referenced by its scientific name.
Penstemon arenicola is a herbaceous plant with leaves that grow from its base and also from its flowering stems. [2] The plants are of a small size, [3] the flowering stems usually reaching just 7–18 centimeters (2+3⁄4–7 in), but occasionally as short as 4 cm (1+1⁄2 in) or as tall as 30 cm (12 in). [2] Its leaves and stems grow from a woody branched structure atop its taproot, called a caudex. [4]
The leaves are smooth and fleshy, with a blue-green color from being covered in natural waxes (glaucous). [3] The basal leaves and the ones lowest on the flowering stems are 2.1–7 centimeters long, but usually less than 5 cm. They are quite narrow, just 4–17 millimeters wide. They resemble a spoon or reversed spear head, with the widest portion towards the end of the leaf and either a rounded to pointed tip, sometimes with the midrib extending past the rest of the leaf blade. On the flowering stem there are two to five pairs of leaves. [2] The lower leaves are attached by a short leaf stem, a petiole, to the larger stem while the upper ones are sessile, with their base directly attached to the stem. [4]
The flowers are grouped in four to nine points along the stem called verticillasters where the flower stalks attach in a pair of spots on opposite sides of the stem. [4] They are packed closely together on the thyrse, [4] which may be 3–14 centimeters long. [2] The tubular flower may be 10–15 millimeters long and is blue to violet in color. [2] Outside the flower is hairless while the inside has sparsely scattered white hairs and red-violet nectar guide lines. The staminode is densely covered in golden hairs at its end and extends slightly beyond the opening of the flower. [4]
The seed capsules are 6–12 millimeters long and 5–6 mm wide. [2] The seeds contained within are 2–3 mm in size. [4]
This species was scientifically described by the botanist Aven Nelson in 1898. It has no botanical synonyms or subdivisions. [5] The first scientific collection was 1 June 1897 by Nelson near Point of Rocks, Wyoming. [6]
The species name, arenicola, means growing in sand in botanical Latin. [3] It has the common name Red Desert penstemon for the Red Desert region of Wyoming where it is found. [4] It is also sometimes known as sand penstemon, [7] however other species including Penstemon acuminatus and very commonly Penstemon ambiguus are also called this. [8] [9]
According to the USDA Penstemon arenicola grows in most of western Wyoming as well as the very northwestern corner of Colorado in Moffat County and adjacent Daggett County and Uintah County, Utah. [7] It can be found between elevations of 1,800–2,400 meters (5,900–7,900 ft). [2]
The species prefers to grow in sandy soils or in broken shale rocks on plains, hills, and bluffs in sagebrush steppes. [4] It was last evaluated by NatureServe in 1992, at that time they evaluated it as globally "vulnerable" (G3). In Wyoming they list it as "apparently secure" (S4) and "critically imperiled" (S1) in Colorado. [1]
Red Desert penstemon is occasionally cultivated, both inside and outside its natural range by rock gardeners. In a garden setting they need a well draining growing medium such as sand or gravel in full sun. They are grown from seed, which require eight weeks of cool-moist stratification followed by variable temperatures to sprout. [3] A very small number of seeds, 17% in an experiment, will sprout when planted at 21 °C (70 °F). [10]
Penstemon strictus, the Rocky Mountain penstemon, is a penstemon with showy blue flowers.
Penstemon barnebyi is a species of penstemon known by the common names White River Valley beardtongue and Barneby's beardtongue. It is native to the mountain and basin territory of central western Nevada, where it grows in sagebrush and woodland; there is also one occurrence just over the California border.
Penstemon centranthifolius is a species of penstemon known by the common name scarlet bugler. It is native to California and parts of Mexico, where it grows in many types of dry habitat from coast to desert, such as chaparral and oak woodland.
Penstemon cinicola is a species of penstemon known by the common name ash penstemon. It is native to northeastern California and southern Oregon, where it grows in forests and plateau habitat.
Penstemon deustus is a species of penstemon known by the common names hotrock penstemon and scabland penstemon. It is native to much of the northwestern United States from the Pacific Northwest to Wyoming, where it grows in many types of forest and open plateau habitat, often on soils heavy in volcanic rock or on limestone outcrops.
Penstemon eatonii is a species of flowering plant in the genus Penstemon, known by the common name firecracker penstemon. It is native to the Western United States from Southern California to the Rocky Mountains. It grows in many types of desert, woodland, forest, and open plateau habitat.
Penstemon floridus is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names Panamint penstemon and rose penstemon.
Penstemon gracilentus is a species of penstemon known by the common name slender penstemon. It is native to the mountains and sagebrush plateau of northeastern California, western Nevada, and eastern Oregon, where it grows in forest, woodland, and scrub habitat. It is a herb producing upright branches to about 65 centimeters in maximum height, the stems developing woody bases. The leaves are up to 10 centimeters in length and linear or lance-shaped. The glandular inflorescence produces several tubular purple flowers up to 2 centimeters long. The mouth of each flower may be hairless or coated in long hairs, and the staminode usually has a coat of yellow hairs.
Penstemon acuminatus is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names sharpleaf penstemon and sand-dune penstemon. It is native to the dry interior of the northwestern United States.
Penstemon fruticosus, the bush penstemon or shrubby penstemon, is a species of penstemon native to the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Penstemon cyanocaulis, the bluestem penstemon or bluestem beardtongue, is a perennial plant in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States.
Castilleja chromosa, the desert paintbrush, is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae found in the western United States. They are distributed in dry scrub, steppe, and desert. They have colorful inflorescences which range from yellow to red in hue. This color is given not by the flowers, which are small, but by the colorful bracts. The plants grow up to nearly half a meter tall and are slightly bristly and greyish-green. Their stems do not branch, and their leaves are small and lance-shaped. Partial parasites, they steal some of their nutrients from neighboring plants.
Penstemon caespitosus, commonly known as mat penstemon, is a summer blooming perennial flower in the large Penstemon genus. It is a widespread plant from near timberline to the foothills in the Southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau in North America. It is noted for its ground hugging growth habit and as a plant used in xeriscape and rock gardening.
Penstemon gairdneri is a species of perennial plant in the Plantaginaceae family with the common name Gairdner's beardtongue. It is native to Washington, Oregon, and Idaho in the western United States.
Penstemon cyathophorus, commonly known as cupped penstemon or Middle Park penstemon, is a species of flowering plant that grows in a small area in the mountains of northern Colorado and a smaller area of southern Wyoming. As a rare species with a limited range it is vulnerable to human development. It is not a large plant and is often found growing amid sagebrush plants in mountain basins and valleys.
Penstemon albifluvis, the White River penstemon, is a disputed species or variety of Penstemon that grows in a small area in eastern Utah and western Colorado. It grows mainly on broken shale and rock formations in desert habitats. White River penstemon is very rare.
Penstemon watsonii is a flowering plant that grows largely in Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. It grows in dry rocky areas and has blue to violet flowers.
Penstemon crandallii, also known as Crandall's penstemon, is a species of penstemon that grows in western Colorado and small parts of New Mexico and Utah. It is a low growing plant with blue to purple flowers.
Penstemon ophianthus, the coiled anther penstemon, is a species of small perennial plant in the plantain family. It has very noticeable dark violet lines on its flowers over a lighter blue-lavender color. The species grows in the plateaus and canyon lands of western Colorado and New Mexico, northern Arizona, and southern Utah.
Penstemon moffatii, commonly called Moffat penstemon, is a flowering plant from the mesas and canyons of western Colorado and eastern Utah.