Penstemon harringtonii

Penland

Madroño 14: 153, fig. 1. 1958.

Common names: Harrington’s beardtongue
IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 119. Mentioned on page 111, 114.

Stems erect, (30–)40–70 cm, glabrous. Leaves basal and cauline, glabrous; basal and proximal cauline (15–)30–70 × (6–)13–26 mm, blade trullate to ovate or elliptic, base tapered, apex acute, obtuse, rounded, or mucronate; cauline 3–7 pairs, sessile, (10–)18–53 × (7–)12–26 mm, blade ovate to elliptic or oblanceolate, base tapered to clasping, apex obtuse to acute, rounded, or mucronate. Thyrses interrupted, cylindric, 13–30 cm, axis glabrous, verticillasters 6–10, cymes 1–4(–7)-flowered; proximal bracts ovate to lanceolate, 10–20 × 3–12 mm; peduncles and pedicels glabrous. Flowers: calyx lobes ovate to lanceolate, 3.5–7(–9) × 2–2.7 mm, margins entire or erose, broadly scarious, glabrous; corolla blue to violet, lavender, or pinkish blue, without nectar guides, funnelform, 17–24 mm, glabrous externally, glabrous internally, tube 8–11 mm, throat gradually inflated, 5–7 mm diam., rounded abaxially; stamens: 2 prominently exserted, 4–6 mm, 2 included, pollen sacs parallel or divergent, 2–3 mm, sutures smooth; staminode 7–10 mm, included or reaching orifice, 0.5–1(–1.5) mm diam., tip recurved, distal 4–6 mm densely villous, hairs golden yellow, to 1.5 mm; style 18–22 mm. Capsules 7–11 × 4–6 mm.


Phenology: Flowering Jun–Jul.
Habitat: Sandy soils, sagebrush shrublands, pinyon-juniper woodlands.
Elevation: 2000–2900 m.

Discussion

Penstemon harringtonii is known from Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Pitkin, Routt, and Summit counties in northwestern Colorado (S. S. Panjabi and D. G. Anderson 2006). It sometimes grows with P. osterhoutii.

Lower Taxa

None.