Penstemon virens

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Penstemon virens
Penstemon virens close.png
Penstemon virens
Status TNC G3.svg
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)
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. virens
Binomial name
Penstemon virens

Penstemon virens, commonly known as blue mist penstemon, Front Range penstemon, 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. [1] The origin of calling it the "blue mist penstemon" is not precisely known, but is thought to relate to the large number of blue flowers the plant can produce reminding observers of a blue mist.

Contents

Description

Penstemon Virens growing from a rockface, Clear Creek County. Penstemon virens on rockface.png
Penstemon Virens growing from a rockface, Clear Creek County.

Penstemon virens has flowering stems are typically 10–40 cm in height and stand upright with very little curve. [2] The stems are covered in extremely fine and short hairs that increase to being glandular and hairy closer to the buds and flowers, but are rarely almost or completely hairless. [3]

Most of the leaves are at the base of the plant and relatively short, 2–10.2 cm long. [2] These basal leaves are bright green, smooth, shiny, and have smooth or very finely toothed edges (denticulate margins). [1] Though smooth, the leaves are not leathery or thick, and are oblanceolate to spatulate with a tapered base and 4–15 mm in width. [2] The end of the leaves are mildly pointed, ranging from obtuse to acute. [3] The leaves attached to the flowering stems are also hairless, have smooth leaf edges, lancelolate to slightly ovate in shape, and shorter than the basal leaves, 1.8–5 cm in length and 3–14 mm wide. [2] The form of the plant is a low, spreading mat that enlarges each year, [4] with leaves that persist over the winter in most locations. [5]

The flowering stem is a thyrse, it grows without a genetically determined limit, but instead stops due to environmental conditions. It will typically have 3-6 clusters of flowers on the stem just above each leaf pair. Close examination will show that the flower clusters are actually paired groups on opposite sides of the stem (a verticillaster), but they will face in every direction. The flowers of Penstemon virens have five green, glandular-pubescent sepals at the base of the flower that are ovate to lanceolate, 2–4.5 mm long and 1.5-2.5 mm wide at the base. [2] The edge of each sepal is edged with red. The flower is a tapered funnel 10–16 mm long and pale sky blue to light purple or violet. The flower divides into five rounded petals at its front and has purple-blue to reddish-purple nectar guides from the center of each petal leading down into the flower. The outside of the flower is glandular-pubescent and on the inside has moderate amount of fine white fuzz on the inside of the flower. The throat of the flower tube has an inside diameter of 3–5 mm, about 4–5 mm on the outside. [3]

The lower lip and just inside the tube will have a few white longer hairs. The infertile fifth stamen, the staminode for which the genus is named, is a hairy golden-brown, and 8–10 mm long. It will almost reach the end of the flower tube. The four fertile stamens are paired above, curve inwards and upwards, and are purple to pink-white. The style is 8–11 mm long. [3]

The seed capsules are small tear drop shapes about 5–7 mm long and 2–3 mm wide [3] and are ripe towards the end of July or the beginning of August at lower elevations. [6]

Taxonomy

Herbarium specimen, collected near Laramie, Wyoming Penstemon virens herbarium specimen 1915 Wyoming.jpg
Herbarium specimen, collected near Laramie, Wyoming

The first recorded collection of Penstemon virens was by Francis W. Pennell on 9 June 1915 on Ute Creek north of Manitou Springs, CO. On the same trip he collected at least two more specimens from Colorado and two from locations in Wyoming, with the type specimen collected 13 June on a hillside west of Morrison, CO. [7] [4] The famous Swedish-American botanist Per Axel Rydberg published a description that credited Pennell for the description in his book Flora of the Rocky Mountains and Adjacent Plains in 1917. [8] However, Rydberg is now credited with making formal description. [9]

Names

The name of the species, "virens', is the present active participle of the Latin word vireō (“I am green”). [10] Three of its common names relate to its appearance. A variation on its scientific name is the name "green beardtounge", a description of the particularly green and shiny leaves of the species. [11] The common name, "blue mist penstemon", may either refer to the cloud of flowers on multiple stems facing every direction or the occasionally spectacular displays of hillsides covered with a low blue mist of flowers. [4] [12] They are additionally called the "low penstemon" for their relatively short stature, [13] but this name is shared with Penstemon humilis, a similar species from elsewhere in the western US. [14] Another of the common names relates to its native habitat, in and near the Front Range of Colorado and southern Wyoming. [15]

Habitat and distribution

Penstemon virens is commonly found growing on rocky slopes, on rock outcrops, in forest openings, along road cuts, and other disturbed areas. [1] They grow from 1600 to 3000 m in elevation. [16]

Penstemon virens is common in its habitat, but not widely distributed. Plants are found on the Medicine Bow Range in southeastern Wyoming south to Culebra Range in southeastern Colorado. It is common in the mountains and foothills of the Front Range in between and also on the Palmer Divide in Colorado. [16] It is recorded by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS database (PLANTS) with county level records in Colorado and Wyoming. [17] NatureServe assessed P. virens as globally vulnerable (G3) in 1993. At the state level they did not assess populations in Colorado and evaluated Wyoming populations as "imperiled" (S2). [18]

Ecology

Penstemon virens tend to grow together in large numbers rather than singly or scattered throughout the landscape, rarely fewer than 10 plants in a population. [4] Most species observed visiting and entering the flowers of P. virens are bees. The most frequent visitors are members of genus Lasioglossum , but genus Osmia , genus Bombus , and honeybees also frequently visit them. Specific species observed include Apis mellifera , Augochlorella aurata , Bombus huntii , Bombus rufocinctus , Bombus centralis , Halictus tripartitus , Hoplitis truncata , Lasioglossum sisymbrii , and Lasioglossum trizonatum . They are also sometimes visited by beeflies ( Bombyliidae ) and butterflies, but they have not been observed contacting reproductive parts and are thought to be necatar robbers. Hummingbirds, though present in the range, have not yet been scientifically observed visiting P. virens. [19]

A study of plant responses to wildfire found that Penstemon virens was found in similar number of areas before and after five years of recovery from fires. [20] Though it does recover from fires an earlier study found that P. virens is significantly associated with areas of historic low-intensity fires in ponderosa pine forests. [21]

Penstemon virens was evaluated as a potential host for Castilleja integra and was found by the researchers to not support this partially parasitic plant for more than a few weeks. [22]

Cultivation

Blue mist penstemons are recommended as garden plants by local governments, [23] water providers, [24] and extension services [25] for areas in or near the Front Range. They are prized for their low water usage, adaptation to local climate, handsome blooms, long lifespan, and ease of cultivation. [5] They are drought tolerant once established, but not adapted to constantly dry conditions. [25]

In garden settings they are adapted to full sun to partial shade conditions in the west and full sun in the east of the United States. [5] [26] They are quite adaptable to different garden soil conditions, but like all penstemons are healthier with good drainage. [5] Dr. Dale Lindgren of the University of Nebraska writes that their seeds require cold and moist stratification of six weeks at 4.5 °C for good germination rates or to be planted outside over the winter. [5] However, experiments by Dr. Norman C. Deno indicate that period of dry warm storage of around 21 °C (70 °F) for six months before cool moist stratification is critical. His research also showed that seeds left in the dry stems after ripening accomplish the same effect in natural settings. [27] The coldest USDA hardiness zones where this plant is known to survive is zone 4. [6]

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>Geum triflorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Geum triflorum, commonly known as prairie smoke, old man's whiskers, torchflower, three-sisters, long-plumed purple avens, lion's beard, or three-flowered avens, is a spring-blooming perennial herbaceous plant of the Rosaceae family. It is a hemiboreal continental climate species that is widespread in colder and drier environments of western North America, although it does occur in isolated populations as far east as New York and Ontario. It is particularly known for the long feathery plumes on the seed heads that have inspired many of the regional common names and aid in wind dispersal of its seeds.

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

Penstemon strictus, the Rocky Mountain penstemon, is a penstemon with showy blue flowers.

<i>Pedicularis groenlandica</i> North American species of flowering plant

Pedicularis groenlandica is a showy flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae commonly known as elephant's head, little pink elephant, elephantella, or similar common names inspired by the resemblance of the flower to the head of an elephant. It is also less commonly known as butterfly tongue for the long beak on the flower. Like many other plants in genus Pedicularis, it is a parasitic plant and depends on host plants to survive.

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

Phacelia sericea, the silky phacelia or blue alpine phacelia, is a showy perennial species of Phacelia endemic to western North America. It grows mainly at subalpine to alpine elevations in forest openings or above treeline among rocks and sand. Sericea comes from the Latin sericeus, or silky, referring to the fine hairs on the leaves and stem.

<i>Penstemon grandiflorus</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

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.

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

Penstemon angustifolius is a perennial semi-evergreen forb belonging to the plantain family. This species is 1 out of roughly 273 species of Penstemon. This species is also known as broadbeard beardtongue. This forb is native to central United States and can be noticed by its brightly and highly variable colored flowers.

<i>Castilleja integra</i> Species of flowering plant

Castilleja integra, with the common names orange paintbrush, Southwestern paintbrush, and wholeleaf paintbrush, is a partially parasitic herbaceous perennial plant native to the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. The species produces a relatively large amount of nectar and is attractive to hummingbirds. It is better suited to cultivation than most other species in the paintbrush genus (Castilleja) and is therefor used in xeriscape gardens and naturalistic meadows, even outside its native range.

<i>Claytonia rosea</i> Species of flowering plant

Claytonia rosea, commonly called Rocky Mountain spring beauty, western springbeauty or Madrean springbeauty, is a diminutive spring blooming ephemeral plant with pale pink to magenta flowers. It grows a small round tuberous root and it one of the earliest wildflowers of spring in its range. It is found in dry meadows in forests of ponderosa and Chihuahuan pines, and moist ledges of mountain slopes of the Beaver Dam Mountains of Utah, Colorado Front Range, and Sierra Madre Occidental, south and east to the Sierra Maderas del Carmen of Coahuila.

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

Penstemon pennellianus, often called the Blue Mountain beardtongue or Blue Mountain penstemon, is a species of beardtongue native to Washington and Oregon.

<i>Chionophila tweedyi</i> Perennial herb in the rose family

Chionophila tweedyi, or Tweedy's snowlover, is a perennial herb in the plantain family. It is native to Idaho and Montana in the western United States.

<i>Drymocallis fissa</i> Species of plant in the genus Drymocallis

Drymocallis fissa, the bigflower cinquefoil, also known as the leafy cinquefoil, leafy drymocallis, or wood beauty, is a small plant also sometimes classified as Potentilla fissa. It is a herbaceous plant with a thick taproot known for its moderately hairy leaves, redish leaf stems, and relatively large yellow flowers. It is native to foothills and lower mountains the Rocky Mountain region in the western United States.

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

Penstemon whippleanus, commonly known as dusky penstemon, dusky beardtongue, Whipple's penstemon, or Whipple's beardtongue, is a summer blooming perennial flower in the large Penstemon genus. It is a widespread plant within the hemiboreal forests of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It is noted for the large deep purple-red flowers and a preference for high mountain elevations.

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

Penstemon albidus, commonly known as white penstemon, white-flower beardtongue, or Red-Line Beardtongue is a very widespread perennial flower of the mixed-grass and shortgrass prairies. Its natural distribution is from Manitoba and Alberta in Canada to Texas and New Mexico in the United States. The bright white flowers for which they are named are quite attractive to both bees and hummingbird moths.

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

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-drained soil.

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

Penstemon auriberbis, commonly known as the Colorado penstemon or Colorado beardtongue, is a species of Penstemon that grows in the shortgrass prairies of southern Colorado and in a few places in northern New Mexico. Although specimens were collected on the 1820 expedition by Stephen H. Long through the area, they were not scientifically described as a separate species until 1920.

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

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.

<i>Delphinium geyeri</i> Species of flowering plant

Delphinium geyeri is a species of plant in the Ranunculaceae family that is often called by the common names plains larkspur and foothills larkspur. It is infamous for causing the deaths of cattle grazing in the spring because it is especially poisonous before it flowers and so it is also called poisonweed by ranchers. It is a medium to tall plant that has very striking blue flowers and is occasionally grown in native plant gardens for this reason. It grows mainly in Wyoming with large population in northern Colorado, northeastern Utah, and parts of Nebraska.

<i>Castilleja rhexiifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae

Castilleja rhexiifolia, commonly called rosy paintbrush, subalpine paintbrush, or rhexia-leaved paintbrush, is a species of plant in Orobanchaceae, commonly known as the broomrape family. They are a common flower found in moist habitats near or above timberline in the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest. Like most members of the Castilleja genus, they are partially parasitic plants.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Denver Botanic Gardens (2018). Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountain region. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. p. 181. ISBN   9781604696448.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Ackerfield, Jennifer (2015). Flora of Colorado (First ed.). Fort Worth, Texas: Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press. p. 596. ISBN   9781889878454.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Freeman, Craig C. "Penstemon virens - FNA". Flora of North America. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Barnett, Don (2022). Penstemon of southeastern Colorado. Pueblo, CO.: Ethical Dessert. pp. 202–207. ISBN   978-0-578-37397-3.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Lindgren, Dale T. (2003). Growing penstemons : species, cultivars, and hybrids. Haverford, PA: Infinity Pub. pp. 91–92. ISBN   0741415291.
  6. 1 2 "Penstemon virens". Navigate.BotanicGardens.org. Denver Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  7. ↑ University of Colorado Museum of Natural History Herbarium (2023). "botanydb.colorado.edu/index.php". University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  8. ↑ Rydberg, Per Axel (1917). Flora of the Rocky Mountains and Adjacent Plains, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and neighboring parts of Nebraska, South Dakota, and British Columbia. New York, New York: The author. p. 773. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  9. ↑ WFO (2023). "Penstemon virens Pennell ex Rydb". World Flora Online. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  10. ↑ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879). A Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  11. ↑ Dannen, Kent; Dannen, Donna (1981). Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. Estes Park, Colorado: Tundra Publications. p. 12. ISBN   978-0-9606768-0-4 . Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  12. ↑ Bartlett, Ann; Bartlett, Dick (1993). "Penstemons: Naturals for Colorado". Mountain, Plain and Garden. 50 (1). Denver, Colorado: Denver Botanic Gardens: 36–37. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  13. ↑ Guennel, G. K. (1995). Guide to Colorado Wildflowers. Englewood, Colorado: Westcliffe Publishers. p. 288. ISBN   978-1-56579-118-3.
  14. ↑ Nelson, Ruth Ashton; Blaue, Tom (1976). Plants of Zion National Park : wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and ferns. Springdale, Utah: Zion Natural History Association. p. 240. ISBN   978-0-915630-00-4 . Retrieved 25 March 2024.
  15. ↑ Busco, Janice; Morin, Nancy R. (2010). Native Plants for High-elevation Western Gardens (2nd ed.). Golden, Colorado: Fulcrum. p. 247. ISBN   978-1-55591-740-1 . Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  16. 1 2 "Penstemon virens". Wolfe Lab. Ohio State University. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  17. ↑ USDA, NRCS. (2023). "Penstemon virens Pennell ex Rydb". The PLANTS Database. Greensboro, NC USA.: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  18. ↑ NatureServe (2023). "Penstemon virens". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  19. ↑ Beckrich, Kelsey (2018). Pollination Ecology in Penstemon: Mechanisms of Reproductive Isolation in Penstemon Virens and Penstemon Secundiflorus (Undergraduate Honors Thesis). University of Colorado. pp. 5–15. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  20. ↑ Fornwalt, Paula J.; Kaufmann, Merrill R. (2014). "Understorey plant community dynamics following a large, mixed severity wildfire in a Pinus ponderosa–Pseudotsuga menziesii forest, Colorado, USA". Journal of Vegetation Science. 25 (3): 810, 815. ISSN   1100-9233 . Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  21. ↑ Keith, Robin P.; Veblen, Thomas T.; Schoennagel, Tania L.; Sherriff, Rosemary L. (June 2010). "Understory vegetation indicates historic fire regimes in ponderosa pine-dominated ecosystems in the Colorado Front Range". Journal of Vegetation Science. 21 (3): 488–499. doi:10.1111/j.1654-1103.2009.01156.x . Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  22. ↑ Love, Stephen L; McCammon, Tony A (2017). "Compatible host/parasite pairs enhance propagation of paintbrush ( Castilleja spp.)". Native Plants Journal. 18 (3): 259, 260, 263. doi:10.3368/npj.18.3.252.
  23. ↑ "Penstemon virens (Front Range penstemon) - Recommended Plant List". www.fcgov.com. City of Fort Collins. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  24. ↑ "Colorado Springs Utilities Xeriscaping - Blue Mist Penstemon". www.waterwiseplants.org. Colorado Springs Utilities. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  25. 1 2 Henson, Y.; Langelo, L. (February 2021). "Growing Penstemons - 7.428". Colorado State Extension. Colorado State University. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  26. ↑ "PlantFiles: Penstemon Species, Blue Mist Penstemon, Front Range Beard Tongue, Pride of the Mountain". Dave's Garden. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  27. ↑ Love, Stephen L; Akins, Candace J (2020). "Fifth summary of the native seed germination studies of Norman C Deno: species with names beginning with letters P and Q". Native Plants Journal. 21 (1): 95. doi:10.3368/npj.21.1.83.
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