Penstemon penlandii

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Penstemon penlandii
Penstemon penlandii.jpg
Status TNC G1.svg
Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Penstemon
Species:
P. penlandii
Binomial name
Penstemon penlandii

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. [1] There are two occurrences totalling about 8600 individuals. [1] This is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. [2]

This plant was discovered in the 1980s during surveys for Osterhout's milkvetch (Astragalus osterhoutii), another rare local endemic. The two plants are found only in Middle Park, [2] a valley with seleniferous badlands that host a unique flora. [3] The penstemon grows in clay that is rich in selenium, an element toxic to most other plants in high concentrations. In adjacent stretches of land that have a lower selenium content the penstemon population becomes thinner and it is replaced by sagebrush. [1] The penstemon grows in the shade of the banks of runoff channels that are periodically flooded; the plant's deep, ropelike roots and rhizome anchor it to underground shale deposits to prevent it from being torn away during floods. [1] [3] [4]

This perennial herb arises from a woody caudex attached to the thick root system. The flowering stems are up to 25 centimeters tall with small, linear leaves. The inflorescence contains up to 15 purple-blue flowers each measuring roughly 1.5 centimeters long. They are tubular opening into wide mouths containing staminodes tipped with orange hairs. [4] The plants are partly self-compatible, but for more efficient fruit production the flowers must be visited by pollinators. [5] Many species of bees, especially of genus Osmia , pollinate the flowers, [5] as does the beardtongue-specialist pollen wasp Pseudomasaris vespoides . [6] Blooming occurs in June and July. [1]

The plant occurs in a section of land in northern Middle Park measuring about 5 miles or 2.4 kilometers long and under a kilometer wide. [3] It was added to the US Endangered Species List the same day as its fellow local endemic Osterhout's milkvetch. [2] They are both naturally rare and are threatened by off-road vehicle use in their barren, dry habitat. [2] The penstemon is threatened by the maintenance of a nearby road. [1] Mineral exploration may also be a threat in the area. [3]

Related Research Articles

Osterhout is a Dutch surname derived from Oosterhout. Variants of this name include Van Oosterhout[nb] and Van Osterhout. According to the 2010 United States Census, it ranks as the 13,330th most common name out of 160,975 last names, occurring 2288 times in the sampled data.

<i>Astragalus jaegerianus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus jaegerianus is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common name Lane Mountain milkvetch. The plant was named for the biologist Edmund Jaeger, who first documented it in 1939.

Astragalus humillimus is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common name Mancos milkvetch. It is native to a small section of the Four Corners region of the United States, where it can be found in Montezuma County, Colorado, and San Juan County, New Mexico. There are about nine small, localized populations on sandstone rimrock ledges on the mesas. The plant occurs in a region that is being developed for oil and gas exploration, and altered by associated activities such as road construction and pipeline installation. It is a federally listed endangered species.

<i>Astragalus osterhoutii</i> Species of legume

Astragalus osterhoutii is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common name Osterhout milkvetch. It is endemic to Grand County, Colorado, where it is known from a few populations in Middle Park, a mountain basin. There are five or six occurrences. It is a federally listed endangered species.

<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>Astragalus montii</i> Species of legume

Astragalus montii is a rare species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name heliotrope milkvetch. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where there are only three known populations. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States. This species is often treated as a variety of Astragalus limnocharis.

<i>Astragalus iselyi</i> Species of legume

Astragalus iselyi is a rare species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Isely's milkvetch. It is endemic to Utah in the United States.

Astragalus loanus is a rare species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Glenwood milkvetch. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it occurs only in Sevier County. It is limited to volcanic gravel substrates.

Lewisia maguirei is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Montiaceae known by the common name Maguire's lewisia, or Maguire's bitterroot. It is endemic to Nevada in the United States, where it is known only from eastern Nye County.

Penstemon navajoa is a rare species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name Navajo Mountain beardtongue, or Navajo beardtongue. It is endemic to Utah in the United States, where it is known only from San Juan County.

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

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.

Astragalus linifolius is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Grand Junction milkvetch. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is only found on the Uncompahgre Plateau in Delta, Mesa, and Montrose Counties. There are 21 occurrences, mostly in the general vicinity of Grand Junction.

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

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.

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

Penstemon gibbensii is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name Gibbens' beardtongue. It is native to the western United States, where it occurs in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.

<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.

Astragalus anisus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Gunnison milkvetch. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States, where it is limited to the Gunnison Basin of Gunnison and Saguache Counties.

Astragalus leptaleus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name park milkvetch. It is native to the Rocky Mountains of the United States, where it occurs in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado.

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