Penstemon angustifolius

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Penstemon angustifolius
2017.06.03 15.07.50 IMG 0277 - Flickr - andrey zharkikh.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (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. angustifolius
Binomial name
Penstemon angustifolius
Penstemon angustifolius with beetle on petal. Penstemon angustifolius 03.jpg
Penstemon angustifolius with beetle on petal.

Penstemon angustifolius is a perennial semi-evergreen forb belonging to the plantain family. This species is 1 out of roughly 273 species of Penstemon . [1] [2] 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. [1]

Contents

Description

Penstemon angustifolius can grow between 4 and 24 inches tall. Their basal leaves range from 2–9.5 cm in length. This species stems are a thick, waxy, gray-green. The flowers can be a range of colors, from pink and blue to lavender which bloom from April to June. [1]

Distribution and habitat

This species is found in the west-central United States extending from Montana and North Dakota to Arizona, New Mexico, and Kansas. [3] They can be found in the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. They are drought tolerant and live in sandy soil with good drainage. [3] [1] These plants grow near each other in groups that can be found at elevations of 1200–2200 m. [1]

Ecology

This plant is useful in preventing wind erosion in its native environment. Deer and insects are known to eat parts of the penstemon plant. [3] Native bees especially enjoy this plant and the seeds are used by birds, rodents, ants and bees. [1] Penstemon weevils are an observed herbivore of this plant. [4]

Culture and use

Penstemon angustifolius have been cultivated as early as the 1800s. Native Americans have been recorded to use the plant roots medicinally. Additionally the pigment from the petals has been used to paint moccasins by the Lokota. [5] This plant can be used in landscaping and as a garden plant in xeriscaping situations. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Penstemon digitalis</i> Eastern North American species of penstemon

Penstemon digitalis is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. The flowers are white and are borne in summer. It is native to eastern Canada and the eastern and southeastern United States. Penstemon digitalis is the most widespread species of Penstemon east of the Mississippi River.

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

Penstemon haydenii, the blowout penstemon or blowout beardtongue, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Penstemon and the family Plantaginaceae. The warm-season perennial is native to nine counties in the Nebraska Sand Hills and a single location in Carbon County, Wyoming. The plant has a milky blue color with a waxy cuticle, pale purple leaves, and an alternating leaf pattern with one central stalk. The flowers, while in the inflorescence stage, originate from the bases of the leaves of the plant. Blowout penstemon flowers from May until early June and drops its seeds from late August into September.

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

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. There are two occurrences totalling about 8600 individuals. This is a federally listed endangered species of 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.

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

Penstemon attenuatus is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names sulphur penstemon and taperleaf beardtongue. It is native to the northwestern United States.

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

Penstemon humilis is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names low beardtongue and lowly beardtongue. It is native to the western United States.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Penstemon comarrhenus is a perennial plant in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae) found in the Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands region of the southwestern United States.

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

Penstemon cobaea is a flowering plant in the plantain family, commonly known as cobaea beardtongue, prairie beardtongue 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.

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

Penstemon calycosus, commonly called longsepal beardtongue, is a species of plant in the plantain family (Plantaginaceae). It is native to eastern North America, where it native to the Upper South and Midwestern United States. It expanded its range into the northeast United States in the early 20th century. Its natural habitat is in open woodlands, prairies, and bluffs, often over limestone.

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

Penstemon tenuis is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name sharpsepal beardtongue. It is endemic to Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas in the United States where it is found in open, damp areas in alluvial soil. It typically flowers from early April into early June.

<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 virens</i> Species of flowering plant

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. 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.

<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 ambiguus</i> Species of flowering plant

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.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Penstemon angustifolius, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Profile, 2 February 2024
  2. "Western USA wildflowers: narrowleaf beardtongue, Penstemon Angustifolius". www.americansouthwest.net. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  3. 1 2 3 "Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, Penstemon angustifolius". www.swcoloradowildflowers.com. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  4. Ogle, D., Peterson, S., St. John, L. 2013. Plant Guide for Palmer’s penstemon (Penstemon palmeri). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Plant Materials Center. Aberdeen, Idaho 83210.
  5. Stevens, Mikel (2020). The Heart of Penstemon Country: A Natural History of Penstemons in the Utah Region. Sweetgrass Books. pp. 70–73. ISBN   978-1591522614.
  6. "Penstemon angustifolius" (PDF). USDA NRCS Plant Fact Sheet. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2024.