Penstemon eriantherus: taxon details and analytics
- Domain
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Tracheophyta
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Order
- Lamiales
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Genus
- Penstemon
- Species
- Penstemon eriantherus
- Scientific Name
- Penstemon eriantherus
Summary description from Wikipedia:
Penstemon eriantherus
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.
This species is a perennial herb growing from a woody caudex and thick taproot. It branches into several stems that reach up to 40 centimeters tall. Much of the herbage is coated in gray hairs, and the inflorescence can be glandular. The oppositely arranged leaves are up to 13 centimeters long and are sometimes slightly toothed along the edges. The flower is borne in a calyx of narrow, pointed sepals. The corolla is up to 4 centimeters long with a mouth up to 1.4 centimeters wide. It is lavender to reddish or bluish purple. The lower lip and the staminode are heavily bearded with yellowish hairs.
This plant grows on clay soils in dry, open habitat. In Washington it grows in plant communities dominated by antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) and Indian ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), purple sage (Salvia dorrii) and bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), and rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa). It occurs on rocky soils in sagebrush habitat. Its ability to live in a relatively rough habitat may help it persist in disturbed areas, such as eroded trails.
There are 5 varieties of this species:
- Penstemon eriantherus var. argillosus (endemic to Oregon)
- Penstemon eriantherus var. cleburnei - Cleburn's penstemon
- Penstemon eriantherus var. eriantherus
- Penstemon eriantherus var. redactus - longsac penstemon
- Penstemon eriantherus var. whitedii - Whited's penstemon (endemic to Washington)
Penstemon eriantherus in languages:
- English
- Crested-tongue Beardtongue
- English
- fuzzytongue penstemon
Images from inaturalist.org observations:
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Parent Taxon
Sibling Taxa
- Penstemon acaulis
- Penstemon albidus
- Penstemon atwoodii
- Penstemon auriberbis
- Penstemon barnebyi
- Penstemon breviculus
- Penstemon calcareus
- Penstemon cobaea
- Penstemon concinnus
- Penstemon distans
- Penstemon dolius
- Penstemon duchesnensis
- Penstemon eriantherus
- Penstemon franklinii
- Penstemon goodrichii
- Penstemon gormanii
- Penstemon grahamii
- Penstemon guadalupensis
- Penstemon jamesii
- Penstemon janishiae
- Penstemon laricifolius
- Penstemon marcusii
- Penstemon miser
- Penstemon moffatii
- Penstemon monoensis
- Penstemon nanus
- Penstemon ophianthus
- Penstemon pinorum
- Penstemon pumilus
- Penstemon triflorus
- Penstemon yampaensis