| Penstemon davidsonii | |
|---|---|
 | |
| P. davidsonii var. menziesii, Olympic National Park, Washington | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Penstemon |
| Species: | P. davidsonii |
| Binomial name | |
| Penstemon davidsonii | |
Penstemon davidsonii is a species of penstemon known by the common name Davidson's penstemon, honoring Dr. George Davidson. [1] It is native to western North America.
Penstemon davidsonii is a low, mat-forming perennial up to 10 centimetres (4 in) tall. The leaves are up to 1.5 cm (5⁄8 in) long, thick and firm, usually glabrous, with entire to serrulate margins. The leaves often have a paler green, tan, or reddish edge. The flowers are tubular, blue-lavender to purple, and large relative to the short stature of the plant. The calyx is covered with short hair. [2] [3] Larger plants often flower abundantly, with the leaf mat nearly covered with the showy flowers.
Penstemon davidsonii is included in Penstemon subgenus Dasanthera, along with P. barrettiae , P. cardwellii , P. ellipticus , P. fruticosus , P. lyallii , P. montanus , P. newberryi , and P. rupicola . [4]
Penstemon davidsonii is known by several common names. It is occasionally called "Alpine penstemon". [5] The variety Penstemon davidsonii var. davidsonii is commonly called the "timberline penstemon". [6] It shares the name "creeping penstemon" with Penstemon teucrioides . [7] [8]
Penstemon davidsonii is native to North America from the Sierra Nevada Range in California and Nevada through the Coast and Cascade ranges of Oregon and Washington into British Columbia. [9]
It grows on rocks or in rocky soils in sunny mountain locations. [2]
Penstemon, the beardtongues, is a large genus of roughly 280 species of flowering plants native mostly to the Nearctic, but with a few species also found in the North American portion of the Neotropics. It is the largest genus of flowering plants endemic to North America. As well as being the scientific name, penstemon is also widely used as a common name for all Penstemon species alongside beardtongues.
Penstemon palmeri, known by the common name Palmer's penstemon, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the genus Penstemon that is notable for its showy, rounded flowers, and for being one of the few scented penstemons. The plant, in the family Plantaginaceae, is named after the botanist Edward Palmer.
Penstemon azureus is a flowering plant species known by the common name azure penstemon.
Penstemon floridus is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names Panamint beardtongue and rose penstemon.
Penstemon heterophyllus is a species of penstemon known by the common names bunchleaf penstemon, foothill penstemon, and foothill beardtongue. It is endemic to California.
Penstemon newberryi is a species of penstemon known by the common name mountain pride or Newberry's penstemon. It is native to the mountains of northern California, Oregon, and Nevada, where it grows in rocky habitat, often at high elevation, such as talus. It is a bushy, mat-forming subshrub growing up to 30 centimetres tall. The leaves are mostly basal on the plant, oblong or oval and toothed, measuring 1 to 4 centimetres in length, with a few smaller pairs along the stem. The glandular inflorescence bears showy magenta flowers 2 to over 3 cm in length. The flower is generally tubular or funnel-shaped and has a coating of short to long and curly hairs in the mouth and on the staminode.
Penstemon rupicola is a species of penstemon known by the common names cliff beardtongue or rock penstemon. It is native to the west coast of the United States from Washington to the Klamath Mountains of far northern California, where it grows in rocky mountainous habitat. It is a clumpy, mat-forming subshrub growing no more than 14 centimeters high. The thick, waxy, oppositely arranged leaves are round or oval and up to 2 centimeters long. The showy wide-mouthed tubular flowers emerging from the mat may be nearly 4 centimeters in length and are shades of light purple to bright pink.
Penstemon spectabilis is a species of penstemon known by the common name showy penstemon or showy beardtongue. It is native to southern California and Baja California, where it grows in the chaparral, scrub, and woodlands of the coastal mountain ranges.
Penstemon barrettiae is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name Barrett's beardtongue or Barrett's penstemon. It is endemic to a small part of the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Penstemon angustifolius is a perennial semi-evergreen forb belonging to the plantain family. This species is 1 out of roughly 273 species of Penstemon. This species is also known as broadbeard beardtongue. This forb is native to central United States and can be noticed by its brightly and highly variable colored flowers.
Penstemon eriantherus is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names fuzzytongue penstemon and crested beardtongue. It is native to western North America, where it occurs in western Canada and the northwestern and north-central United States.
Penstemon fruticosus is a species of penstemon known by the common names bush penstemon or shrubby penstemon. It is native to the Pacific Northwest of North America.
The flora of the U.S. Sierra Nevada alpine zone is characterized by small, low growing, cushion and mat forming plants that can survive the harsh conditions in the high-altitude alpine zone above the timber line. These flora often occur in alpine fell-fields. The Sierra Nevada alpine zone lacks a dominant plant species that characterizes it, so may or may not be called a vegetation type. But it is found above the subalpine forest, which is the highest in a succession of recognized vegetation types at increasing elevations.
Erigeron glacialis, the glacial daisy, glacial fleabane, Subalpine fleabane, or wandering fleabane, is a western North American perennial plant in the family Asteraceae.
Penstemon pennellianus, often called the Blue Mountain beardtongue or Blue Mountain penstemon, is a species of beardtongue native to Washington and Oregon.
Penstemon whippleanus, commonly known as dusky penstemon, dusky beardtongue, Whipple's penstemon, or Whipple's beardtongue, is a summer blooming perennial flower in the large Penstemon genus. It is a widespread plant within the hemiboreal forests of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It is noted for the large deep purple-red flowers and a preference for high mountain elevations.
Penstemon virens, commonly known as blue mist penstemon, Front Range penstemon, or Green beardtongue, is a common Penstemon in the Front Range foothills in Colorado and Wyoming. The dainty flowers are an ornament to many rocky or sandy area within its range. It is confusingly similar to Penstemon humilis and Penstemon albertinus though the ranges of these plants do not overlap in the wild. The origin of calling it the "blue mist penstemon" is not precisely known, but is thought to relate to the large number of blue flowers the plant can produce reminding observers of a blue mist.
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 teucrioides, commonly known as grayleaf creeping penstemon, germander penstemon and germander beardtounge, is a perennial species of plant in the large and colorful Penstemon genus. It is a ground hugging plant that is native to just five counties in the mountains of Colorado. Though it has a very limited range it is widely grown in rock gardens.
Media related to Penstemon davidsonii at Wikimedia Commons
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