Penstemon bicolor | |
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Red Rock Canyon near Blue Diamond, Nevada | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Plantaginaceae |
Genus: | Penstemon |
Species: | P. bicolor |
Binomial name | |
Penstemon bicolor | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Penstemon bicolor is a species of penstemon known by the common name pinto penstemon. It is native to the desert mountains and valleys of southern Nevada, eastern California, and western Arizona, where it grows in scrub, woodland, and other local habitat. It is a perennial herb which may exceed one meter in maximum height.
Penstemon bicolor has stems that either grow straight upwards or outward for a short distance before curving to grow upright to a height of 60 to 150 centimeters. [3] It has leaves that are thick with deeply serrated edges. [4] The basal leaves, those attached directly to the base of the plant, and those lower down on the stems are obovate, teardrop shaped with the narrow end attached to the plant with a tapered base. Their ends may either be bluntly pointed or narrowly pointed and are 37 to 110 millimeters long by 10 to 50 mm wide. [3]
The hairy glandular inflorescence portion of the stem produces 9 to 23 groups of flowers each with a pair of bracts under where they attach to the main stem. Each of the groups has a pair of cymes, flowers on short flower stems off the main stem, each with one to four flowers. [3] The flowers are most often 18 to 24 millimeters long, but may occasionally be 27 mm in length. [4] Like the rest of the inflorescence the flowers are glandular and hairy, both inside and out. They are tubular and yellow rose-pink, usually with reddish or reddish purple stripes in the throats. The staminode is coated in long yellowish hairs and 14–16 mm long. It may or may not extend out of the flower opening. [3]
In 1916 the botanist Townshend Stith Brandegee described a variety of Penstemon which he named Penstemon palmeri var. bicolor. In 1937 it was reevaluated by David D. Keck and classified as a subspecies of Penstemon pseudospectabilis . Two years later, in 1939, Keck together with Ira Waddell Clokey published their joint description of it as the species Penstemon bicolor. The subspecies Penstemon bicolor subsp. roseus was also described by them at the same time, but it is not accepted by Plants of the World Online. [2]
In English it is known both at the pinto penstemon and as the pinto beardtounge. [5] In addition is also has the common name two-color beardtongue. [3]
Penstemon bicolor is native to three western US states. In Arizona its range is within Mohave County. [6] There it grows in the Black Mountains at the western edge of the state. [3] There are about three populations of this penstemon in Arizona. [1]
In California it grows in several desert mountain ranges in San Bernardino County, the Castle Mountains, the Clark Mountain Range, and the New York Mountains. [3] Ten populations of P. bicolor are thought to grow in California. [1]
In Nevada the Flora of North America reports that it is restricted to the mountains of Clark County. [3] However, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS database also lists it as growing in Nye County, Nevada. [6] In these areas it grows at elevations between 500 and 1,700 meters (1,600 and 5,600 ft). [3] There are approximately 73 populations in Nevada, with six of them in excellent or very good condition. Though six other populations, or more, have been destroyed by suburban growth in Clark County. [1]
This species grow on soils with large amounts of rocky or gravel. It is associated with creosote-bush or blackbush scrublands and also with Joshua tree woodlands. [4] It also grows in arroyos, in road cuts and verges, on talus slopes at the base of cliffs, and amid juniper woodlands. [3]
In 2009 NatureServe evaluated the species as vulnerable (G3) at the global level. This was due to a short term decline of between 10 and 30% decline in the species. They also rated it as vulnerable (S3) at the state level in Nevada and imperiled (S2) in Arizona. The Californian population has not been evaluated. [1]
Penstemon barbatus, known by the common names golden-beard penstemon, and beardlip penstemon, is a flowering plant native to the western United States.
Penstemon albomarginatus is a rare species of penstemon known by the common name white-margined penstemon. It is native to the deserts of southern Nevada, western Arizona, and southern California.
Penstemon anguineus is a species of penstemon known by the common name Siskiyou penstemon. It is native to the mountains of southern Oregon and northern California, where it grows in coniferous forests, often in open areas left by logging operations.
Penstemon azureus is a flowering plant species known by the common name azure penstemon. It is native to the mountains of Oregon and northern California. It grows in coniferous forests and woodlands in the Klamath Mountains, North California Coast Ranges, Southern Cascade Range, and Northern Sierra Nevada.
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 caesius, commonly known as the San Bernardino penstemon, is a low growing species of flowering plant. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains, as well as the southern mountains of the Sierra Nevada. It is a member of the flora on rocky slopes and in coniferous forests and alpine habitat in the mountains.
Penstemon calcareus is a species of penstemon known by the common name limestone penstemon. It is native to California, where it is known from the deserts of central San Bernardino County, as well as the Death Valley area, where its distribution extends just over the border into Nevada. It grows in scrub and woodland, often on limestone substrates.
Penstemon californicus is a species of penstemon known by the common name California penstemon. It is native to Baja California and is also known from fewer than 20 occurrences in California, mainly in Orange and Riverside Counties. It grows in the forest and woodland habitat of the Peninsular Ranges and nearby slopes.
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 clevelandii is a species of penstemon known by the common name Cleveland penstemon. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in mountain and desert habitat such as scrub, woodland, and chaparral.
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 spectabilis is a species of penstemon known by the common name showy penstemon or showy beardtongue. It is a perennial herb native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in the chaparral, scrub, and woodlands of the coastal mountain ranges.
Penstemon thompsoniae, Thompson's beardtongue, is a low perennial plant endemic to the southwestern United States, where it grows in dry shrublands, woodlands and forests. It is considered a species of conservation concern in California.
Penstemon comarrhenus is a perennial plant in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States.
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 breviculus, the narrow-mouth penstemon or shortstem penstemon, is a species of perennial flowering plant from the dry forests and steppes of the Colorado Plateau in the western United States.
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.