Penstemon debilis

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Penstemon debilis
Parachute Penstemon.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Penstemon
Species:
P. debilis
Binomial name
Penstemon debilis
O'Kane & J.L.Anderson

Penstemon debilis, the Parachute penstemon or Parachute beardtongue, is one of the rarest plants in North America, found only 5 places in the world, all of them located on the Roan Plateau in Garfield County, of Western Colorado. The Denver Botanic Gardens has the Parachute penstemon on display with other native plants of the Roan Plateau. The name Parachute comes from the small town in Colorado, Parachute, Colorado, close to where the plant can be found.

The plant is small and low to the ground. It has small green leaves and pale light-lavender flowers. It grows in steep slopes on shale, where little vegetation grows. The area is very arid and has sparse vegetation, containing sages, grasses and bushes. [1] [2]


The Parachute penstemon has been identified to qualify for protection under the Endangered Species Act by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, but failed to be protected, due to large amounts of natural gas in the area. In 2004, the Center for Native Ecosystems, along with the Colorado Native Plant Society and two independent botanists formally requested protection. On July 27, 2011, the plant was federally listed as a threatened species of the United States, a ruling which took effect on August 26, 2011. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Penstemon</i> Genus of plants

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.

<i>Penstemon palmeri</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<i>Penstemon haydenii</i> Species of flowering plant

Penstemon haydenii, the blowout penstemon or blowout beardtongue, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Penstemon and the family Plantaginaceae. The warm-season perennial is native to nine counties in the Nebraska Sand Hills and a single location in Carbon County, Wyoming. The plant has a milky blue color with a waxy cuticle, pale purple leaves, and an alternating leaf pattern with one central stalk. The flowers, while in the inflorescence stage, originate from the bases of the leaves of the plant. Blowout penstemon flowers from May until early June and drops its seeds from late August into September.

Enefit American Oil is a Utah based oil shale exploration and development company. It has been involved in the development of oil shale since 2005. Since 2011 it is a subsidiary of Eesti Energia, internationally known as Enefit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raven Ridge</span>

Raven Ridge is a starkly visible sedimentary rock exposure located in Rio Blanco County, Colorado and Uintah County, Utah, USA. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The ridge contains a diverse selection of rare plants unique to the state of Colorado.

<i>Penstemon floridus</i> Species of flowering plant

Penstemon floridus is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names Panamint beardtongue and rose penstemon.

<i>Penstemon grandiflorus</i> Species of flowering plant

Penstemon grandiflorus, the large-flowered beardtongue or large beardtongue, is a perennial flowering plant endemic to the United States. It is considered a synonym for Penstemon bradburyi by Plants of the World Online.

<i>Eriogonum pelinophilum</i> Species of wild buckwheat

Eriogonum pelinophilum is a rare species of wild buckwheat known by the common name clay-loving wild buckwheat. It is endemic to the state of Colorado in the United States, where it is known from only two counties. The most recent estimates available suggest there are 12 occurrences in existence for a total of about 278,000 individual plants in Delta and Montrose Counties. At least 7 occurrences observed in the past have not been relocated but are not yet believed extirpated. This plant is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

<i>Penstemon penlandii</i> Species of flowering plant

Penstemon penlandii is a rare species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names Penland penstemon and Penland's beardtongue. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is known only from a strip of land about five miles long in central Grand County. There are two occurrences totalling about 8600 individuals. This is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Phacelia argillacea</i> Species of plant

Phacelia argillacea is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common names clay phacelia and Atwood's phacelia. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from one canyon in Utah County. It is "one of Utah's most endangered species"; it is "one of the nation's rarest plants" and is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

<i>Phacelia formosula</i> Species of plant

Phacelia formosula is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name North Park phacelia. It is endemic to the state of Colorado in the United States, where it is known only from the North Park region in Jackson County. It is threatened by a number of human activities, such as motorcycle and off-road vehicle use in its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Schoenocrambe argillacea</i>

Schoenocrambe argillacea is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names clay reed-mustard, Uinta Basin plainsmustard, and clay thelypody.

<i>Ipomopsis polyantha</i> Species of flowering plant

Ipomopsis polyantha is a rare species of flowering plant in the phlox family known by the common names Pagosa ipomopsis, Pagosa skyrocket and Archuleta County standing-cypress. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it occurs only in the vicinity of Pagosa Springs in Archuleta County. It is threatened by the loss of its habitat to residential and commercial development. It was federally listed as an endangered species in 2011.

<i>Phacelia submutica</i> Species of flowering plant

Phacelia submutica is a rare species of flowering plant in the borage family known by the common name De Beque phacelia. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is limited to the Piceance Basin in two counties. It is threatened by petroleum exploration. It was federally listed as a threatened species of the United States on July 27, 2011, a ruling which took effect on August 26, 2011.

<i>Penstemon clutei</i> Species of plant

Penstemon clutei is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name Sunset Crater beardtongue. It is endemic to Arizona, where it is known only from a system of volcanic cinder cones, including Sunset Crater, in Coconino County.

<i>Penstemon grahamii</i> Species of flowering plant

Penstemon grahamii, known by the common names Uinta Basin beardtongue and Graham's beardtongue, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family. It is native to Utah and Colorado in the United States.

<i>Penstemon scariosus</i> Species of flowering plant

Penstemon scariosus is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name White River beardtongue. It is native to Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming in the United States.

<i>Penstemon virens</i> Species of flowering plant

Penstemon virens, commonly known as blue mist penstemon, Front Range beardtongue, 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 common name, blue mist penstemon, refers to the cloud of flowers on multiple stems facing every direction.

References

  1. Roskov Y., Kunze T., Orrell T., Abucay L., Paglinawan L., Culham A., Bailly N., Kirk P., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Decock W., De Wever A., Didžiulis V. (ed) (2014). "Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2014 Annual Checklist". Species 2000: Reading, UK. Retrieved 26 May 2014.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World". Archived from the original on 2019-03-18. Retrieved 2014-08-31.
  3. USFWS. Determination of Endangered Status for Ipomopsis polyantha (Pagosa Skyrocket) and Threatened Status for Penstemon debilis (Parachute Beardtongue) and Phacelia submutica (DeBeque Phacelia); Final Rule. [ permanent dead link ]Federal Register July 27, 2011.