Penstemon albomarginatus is an uncommon species of penstemon known by the common name white-margined beardtongue. It is native to the deserts of southern Nevada and western Arizona, as well as in two desert washes in the Mojave Desert in California. It is a perennial herb with several erect stems emerging from a taproot in the sand, their base buried beneath the surface. The stem branches are hairless and somewhat waxy in texture, reaching up to about 35 centimeters tall. The oppositely arranged leaves are oblong or widely lance-shaped, pale green edged in white, and up to 5 centimeters long. The inflorescence produces several purplish-pink tubular flowers between 1 and 2 centimeters long surrounded at the bases by toothed, white-edged sepals. The flower has some hairs in the mouth, but the staminode is hairless. The flowers are pollinated by vespid wasps and probably other insects, such as carabid beetles.
Penstemon anguineus is a species of penstemon known by the common name Siskiyou beardtongue. It is native to the mountains of Oregon and northern California, where it grows in coniferous forests, often in open areas left by logging operations. It is a perennial herb reaching up to about 90 centimeters in maximum height. The oppositely arranged leaves are lance-shaped to oval, the ones higher on the plant clasping the stem. The inflorescence produces several light blue or purple flowers between 1 and 2 centimeters long. The sepals and flowers are coated in glandular hairs. The inside of the flower has many long hairs and the staminode has a sparse hair coating.
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. This is a hairy perennial herb with erect branches reaching 30 centimeters (1 ft) in maximum height. The oppositely arranged leaves are lance-shaped and up to 7.5 centimeters (3 in) long. There are usually several located around the base of the plant. The inflorescence produces tubular flowers just over one-half centimeter long. They are light purple with a purple-striped white throat lined with yellowish hairs. The protruding staminode is covered in bright orange hairs.
Penstemon calcareus is a species of penstemon known by the common name limestone beardtongue. 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. It is a perennial herb with erect branches up to about 25 centimeters in maximum height, grayish with a coating of fine hairs. The toothed, lance-shaped leaves are up to 6 centimeters long. The inflorescence produces bright pink to purplish tubular or funnel-shaped flowers between 1 and 2 centimeters long. The flower has a glandular outer surface and a staminode coated with yellow hairs.
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 gracilentus is a species of penstemon known by the common names slender beardtongue and slender penstemon. It is native to the mountains and sagebrush plateau of northeastern California, western Nevada, and southern Oregon, where it grows in forest, woodland, and scrub habitat. It is a perennial herb producing upright branches to about 65 centimeters in maximum height, the stems developing woody bases. The leaves are up to 10 centimeters in length and linear or lance-shaped. The glandular inflorescence produces several tubular purple flowers up to 2 centimeters long. The mouth of each flower may be hairless or coated in long hairs, and the staminode usually has a coat of yellow hairs.
Penstemon heterodoxus is a species of penstemon known by the common name Sierra beardtongue. It is native to California and western Nevada where it grows in several of the mountain ranges from the Klamath Mountains to the Sierra Nevada - and the slopes and plateaus to the east. It grows in subalpine and alpine climates in mountain forests, meadows and talus.
Penstemon neotericus is a species of penstemon known by the common name Plumas County beardtongue. It is endemic to California, where it is known from the northern Sierra Nevada and adjacent southern peaks of the Cascade Range. It grows in forest, scrub, and other mountain habitat. It is a perennial herb growing erect to about 80 centimeters tall, becoming woody toward the base. The paired leaves are lance-shaped and nearly 9 centimeters in maximum length. The glandular inflorescence bears blue-purple or pinkish flowers up to 4 centimeters long. The flowers have white, mostly hairless mouths and hairless staminodes.
Penstemon pahutensis is a species of penstemon known by the common name Pahute Mesa beardtongue, or simply Pahute beardtongue. It is native to the desert hills and mountains of southern Nevada, including the Pahute Mesa for which it is named. It can also be found in a few areas over the border in California. It is a perennial herb growing up to 35 centimeters (14 in) tall. The paired, narrow leaves are linear to lance-shaped and up to 10 centimeters (4 in) long. The inflorescence bears blue-purple flowers up to 3 centimeters long. The inside of the wide mouth of the flower is lined with white or yellow hairs, and the staminode is coated in yellow hairs.
Penstemon patens is a species of penstemon known by the common name Lone Pine beardtongue. It is native to the central Sierra Nevada of California and slopes and plateau to the east, its distribution extending just into Nevada. It grows in forest, woodland, and scrub habitat types. It is a perennial herb producing hairless, waxy stems up to about 40 centimeters tall. The thick, lance-shaped, gray-green, opposite leaves are up to 9 centimeters long and 2 wide. There are usually many leaves clustered around the base of the plant and smaller pairs higher on the stem. The inflorescence bears wide-mouthed tubular flowers up to 2 centimeters long with corollas in shades of lavender to magenta. The flower is mostly hairless except for the staminode which may have a coat of orange or yellowish hairs.
Penstemon procerus is a species of penstemon known by the common name littleflower penstemon. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Colorado, as far east in Canada as Manitoba, where it grows in mountain habitat such as meadows, often in alpine climates. This herbaceous perennial forms mats of herbage with some erect stems reaching about 40 centimeters in maximum height. There are several varieties which vary in morphology, some more decumbent than others, some of which are known commonly as pincushion penstemons for their matted forms. In general, the leaves are lance-shaped to oval, plentiful around the base of the plant with smaller ones arranged in opposite pairs along the stem. The inflorescence is made up of one or more clusters of tubular flowers with lipped, lobed mouths. Each flower is no more than one centimeter in length and is purple to blue in color, often with a white throat. The outside of the flower is generally hairless, while the inside may be lined with white or yellowish hairs.
Penstemon roezlii is a species of penstemon known by the common name Roezl's penstemon. It is native to Oregon, western Nevada, and adjacent sections of northern California, including the Klamath Mountains and Sierra Nevada, where it grows in sagebrush and forest habitat types. It is a hairy, erect perennial herb growing to a maximum height of 55 centimeters from a woody, branching base. The leaves are up to 7 centimeters long, linear to widely lance-shaped and often folded lengthwise. The glandular inflorescence bears wide-mouthed tubular flowers up to 2.2 centimeters long in shades of blue-purple. The flowers are mostly hairless except for thin glandular hairs on the outer surfaces.
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 venustus is a species of penstemon known by the common names Venus penstemon and alpine penstemon. It is native to the northwestern United States, where it grows in many types of open habitat. It is a spreading shrub growing erect to a maximum height near 80 centimeters. The thick, stiff leaves are lance-shaped, serrated, and up to 12 centimeters in length. The showy inflorescence bears many tubular lavender flowers, the largest nearly 4 centimeters long. The mouth of the flower and the staminode are covered in long, white hairs. This penstemon is cultivated for use in wilderness landscaping in its native habitat.
Penstemon grandiflorus, known by the common names shell-leaved penstemon, shell-leaf beardtongue, or large-flowered penstemon, is a tall and showy plant in the Penstemon genus from the plains of North America. Due to its large flowers it has found a place in gardens, particularly ones aimed at low water usage like xeriscape gardens.
Erythranthe hymenophylla, synonym Mimulus hymenophyllus, is a species of flowering plant in the lopseed family known by the common names thinsepal monkeyflower and membrane-leaf monkeyflower. It is native to Hells Canyon on the border between Oregon and Idaho in the United States. It has also been reported from Montana.
Penstemon pinorum is a rare species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names Pine Valley penstemon and pinyon penstemon. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from an area along the border between Washington and Iron Counties.
Penstemon rhizomatosus is a rare species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names Scheel Creek beardtongue and rhizome beardtongue. It is endemic to Nevada in the United States, where it occurs only in the Schell Creek Range of White Pine County.
Penstemon degeneri is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name Degener's beardtongue. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it occurs in and around the Arkansas River Canyon in Fremont, Custer, and Chaffee Counties.
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.
