Penstemon eatonii | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Plantaginaceae |
Genus: | Penstemon |
Species: | P. eatonii |
Binomial name | |
Penstemon eatonii | |
Varieties [2] | |
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Synonyms | |
See list in Taxonomy |
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 eatonii is a herbaceous plant with a few to several medium height stems that are between 30 and 100 centimeters (1.0 and 3.3 ft) when full grown. [3] The stems can grow straight upright or might grow out and then curve to growing upwards. Their texture might be hairless or covered in backwards facing stiff hairs, but is never waxy or glaucous. [4] It is relatively short lived perennial. [5]
Firecracker penstemon has both cauline and basal leaves, those that are attached to the stems and ones that grow directly from the base of the plant, which are very deep green and glossy. [6] The basal leaves and lowest ones on the stems are normally 5 to 10 centimeters (2 to 4 in) in length, but on occasion may be as long as 20 cm (8 in). Their width ranges from 1.5 to 5 cm (0.6 to 2.0 in), but usually do not exceed 2.8 cm (1.1 in). [4] The lower leaves are wider than ones further up the plant and are attached by petioles. [3] On the stems there are three to five pairs of leaves attached on opposite sides. The lower leaves are obovate to elliptic, teardrop shaped to having ellipse shaped sides with smooth edges. Upper leaves are ovate or lanceolate, egg shaped to spear head shaped, and attach directly to the stem, sometimes with the base clasping and the shoulders of the leaf extended to be heart shaped. [4]
The inflorescence is the upper 9 to 45 cm (3.5 to 17.5 in) of the stem. Each inflorescence has four to twelve groups of flowers with a pair of opposite bracts underneath where they attach. Each group has two cymes, branched parts of the inflorescence usually with one or two flowers, but occasionally as many as four. [4] The bright color of the flowers contrasts strikingly with the darker color of the foliage making this a very striking wildflower. [6] The brilliant color of the bloom is variously described as cardinal red, [3] scarlet, [6] , or orange-red. [7] The length of the fused petals ranges from 24 to 33 millimeters (0.9 to 1.3 in). They are nearly radially symetrical, only weakly divided into two lips, with the lobes not spreading very much. [4]
In 1871 Sereno Watson described a species that he named Penstemon centranthifolius , however George Bentham had already used his name for another species in 1835, so this was an illegitimate name. [2] [8] The next year Asa Gray published his description of the species naming it Penstemon eatonii. It has three varieties [2] :
It also has 7 synonyms of one of its three varieties. [9] [10] [11]
Name | Year | Rank | Synonym of: | Notes |
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Penstemon amplusA.Nelson | 1938 | species | var. eatonii | = het. |
Penstemon centranthifoliusS.Watson | 1871 | species | var. eatonii | = het. nom. illeg. |
Penstemon coccinatusRydb. | 1909 | species | var. undosus | = het. |
Penstemon eatonii subsp. exsertus(A.Nelson) D.D.Keck | 1939 | subspecies | var. exsertus | ≡ hom. |
Penstemon eatonii subsp. undosus(M.E.Jones) D.D.Keck | 1939 | subspecies | var. undosus | ≡ hom. |
Penstemon exsertusA.Nelson | 1931 | species | var. exsertus | ≡ hom. |
Penstemon munziiI.M.Johnst. | 1922 | species | var. undosus | = het. |
Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym ; = heterotypic synonym |
The species name was selected to honor Daniel Cady Eaton, a botanist who worked at Yale University. [3] In English it is most commonly called the firecracker penstemon. [6] Related to its scientific name it is also known as Eaton's penstemon, Eaton penstemon, and Eaton's firecracker. [12] [5]
Penstemon eatonii is native to the southwestern United States, largely in southern Great Basin and the Colorado River Basin. [13] At its eastern edges it grows in the most western counties of Colorado from Mesa County south to Four Corners. [14] It is only found occasionally in the farthest northwest corner of New Mexico. [6] In Utah it is found from the Wasatch Mountains southward. [5] Its range extends through almost all of Arizona, but only in the southern part of Nevada with an isolated population in the north in Humboldt County. [13] In the far west it reaches California grows in the Mojave Desert and the Sonoran Desert and reaches the San Bernardino Mountains. [15] It also is reported in Wyoming and Idaho, but without specific locations. [13]
It grows in a wide variety of habitats including sagebrush steppes, pinyon–juniper woodlands, mountain mahogany scrublands, and Ponderosa pine forests. It does not display a strong preference for slopes compared with flat areas. [5]
The conservation non-profit NatureServe evaluated Penstemon eatonii in 1990 and at that time rated it as secure (G5). [1]
Unlike penstemons that are adapted to pollination by bees, the firecracker penstemon has a much longer and narrow floral tube and lacks the wide lobes at the flower's mouth for insects to use as landing platform. Instead it is visited by hummingbirds. [16]
Penstemon barbatus, known by the common names golden-beard penstemon, and beardlip penstemon, is a flowering plant native to the western United States.
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 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 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 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 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 davidsonii is a species of penstemon known by the common name Davidson's penstemon, honoring Dr. George Davidson. It is native to western 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.
Penstemon cobaea is a flowering plant in the plantain family, commonly known as Cobaea beardtongue, prairie penstemon or foxglove penstemon. The plant is native to the central United States, primarily the Great Plains from Nebraska to Texas, with additional populations in the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas. There are also populations reported in the southwestern United States as well as in Illinois and Ohio, but these appear to be introductions.
Penstemon secundiflorus, commonly known as sidebells penstemon, or orchid beardtoungue is a species of Penstemon that grows in dry forests, high plains, and scrub lands from Wyoming to Mexico. It is a herbaceous perennial plant that typically grows to a height of 20 to 50 cm and has narrow, lance-shaped leaves that are grayish-green in color. The flowers of the sidebells penstemon are tubular in shape and are arranged in a one-sided spike, with the blooms all facing the same direction, and for this reason was named "secundiflorus", which means "one-sided flowers". The flowers are most often delicate shades of orchid or lavender. It is sometimes used in xeriscaping, rock gardens, and wildflower meadows, and is well-suited to dry, sunny locations with well-draining soil.
Penstemon ambiguus, commonly known as the bush penstemon, pink plains penstemon, or gilia beardtongue is a species of Penstemon that grows in the shortgrass prairies and deserts of the western United States and northern Mexico. This bush-like penstemon grows in sandy, loose, and creosote soils and is particularly known for the spectacular flowering show it produces, sometime seasons turning whole hillsides bright pink–white.
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 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 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 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.