| Penstemon franklinii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Penstemon |
| Species: | P. franklinii |
| Binomial name | |
| Penstemon franklinii | |
Penstemon franklinii, or Franklin penstemon, is a plant species endemic to Utah, United States, known only from Cedar Valley in Iron County. It grows in grasslands and in sagebrush communities.
Penstemon franklinii is a perennial plant that grows between 4 and 25 centimeters (1.6 and 9.8 in) tall. [2] The stems are herbaceous growing from a branched caudex. Plants are quite compact with the two lowest leaf nodes less than a third of the total height. [3] The texture of the stems is retrorsely hairy, covered in backwards facing hairs giving a rough texture, low down on the plant and glandular-pubescent, covered in glandular hairs, on their upper parts. [2]
Plants have both cauline and basal leaves, ones that are attached to the stems and leaves growing directly from the base of the plant, that are not leathery. They can be hairless on both sides or retrorsely hairy, mostly along the midvein on the upper side of leaves towards the top of the plant. [2] The edges are variously all toothed or all smooth with the uppermost leaves more often toothed. [3] The lower leaves are attached by petioles or very narrow bases. [3] They measure 1.2 to 7.3 cm (0.5 to 2.9 in) in length and 2 to 9 millimeters in width. [2]
On the stems plants have three to five pairs of leaves of leaves. [2] Higher up on the stems the leaves have no petioles and the base of the leaf more or less clasps the stem. [3] Their length only reaches 11–48 mm (0.4–1.9 in) with a width of 2–6 mm with a narrow lance- attenuate shape. [2] [3]
The inflorescence has three to five groups of flowers with two bracts immediately under them also lance-attenuate. [3] Each group has two cymes with three to five flowers. The fused flower petals have a funnel shape 14 to 20 millimeters long. [2] The zygomorphic flowers are blue to blue-purple with purple nectar guide lines and a palate, upper part inside the tube, that is covered in yellow, woolly hairs. [3] The staminode reaches or falls short of reaching the flower opening at 7–9 mm in length with sparse to dense golden-yellow hairs covering the tip. [2]
The botanical description and scientific name of Penstemon franklinii was published by Stanley Larson Welsh in 1993. It is in the Penstemon genus in the Plantaginaceae family. It has no varieties or synonyms. [4]
The species name, franklinii, was selected by Welsh to honor M.A. "Ben" Franklin, who collected the type specimen with Welsh and for his outstanding field work in botany. [3] In English it is called Franklin penstemon. [5]
The species is endemic to Iron County, Utah and limited to just Cedar Valley southeast of the Escalante Desert in far southwestern Utah. [2] [6] The total range of the species is less than 100 square kilometers (39 sq mi) and is located at the north end of the valley. It is locally abundant in some places, but in others there are less 50 plants in a locality. [1] It grows with three-awn grass, needle grass, matchweed, and black sagebrush. [3]
The conservation organization NatureServe evaluated Penstemon franklinii in 2019 and rated it as critically imperiled (G1) due to its narrow endemic range with only four or five populations of the plant. [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 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 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 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 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 filiformis is an uncommon species of Penstemon known by the common name threadleaf penstemon. It is endemic to the Klamath Mountains of northern California, where it grows in forest and woodland, often on serpentine soils.
Penstemon floridus is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names Panamint penstemon and rose penstemon.
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 australis is a perennial plant native to the southeastern United States, with the common name Eustis Lake penstemon.
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 yampaensis, the Yampa penstemon, is a rare species of plant from the western United States. It grows in the Yampa River drainage of Colorado and Wyoming and westward into Utah. It is one of the more unusual penstemons, having almost no stem. It is threatened from habitat disturbance, particularly the invasion of the non-native cheatgrass.
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.
Penstemon moffatii, commonly called Moffat penstemon, is a flowering plant from the mesas and canyons of western Colorado and eastern Utah.
