Penstemon fruticosus

(Pursh) Greene

Pittonia 2: 239. 1892.

Common names: Shrubby beardtongue
Endemic
Basionym: Gerardia fruticosa Pursh Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 423, plate 18. 1813
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 88. Mentioned on page 86, 87.

Shrubs or subshrubs, usually cespitose. Stems ascending, 13–40 cm, glabrous or retrorsely hairy, usually in lines, not glaucous. Leaves persistent, 2–6 pairs, distals usually distinctly smaller than proximals, petiolate or sessile, (5–) 6–50 (–60) × 3–12 mm, blade lanceolate to oblanceolate or elliptic, base tapered to clasping, margins entire or ± serrate, or dentate, apex obtuse to acute, glabrous, not glaucous. Thyrses continuous to ± interrupted, secund, 3–11 cm, axis sparsely glandular-pubescent, sometimes also retrorsely hairy proximally, verticillasters 2–7, cymes 1-flowered; proximal bracts lanceolate, 4–16 × 1–5 mm; peduncles and pedicels ascending to erect, glandular-pubescent. Flowers: calyx lobes lanceolate to linear, (7–) 9–13 (–15) × 1.8–3 mm, glandular-pubescent; corolla bluish lavender to purplish or violet, unlined internally or lined with faint bluish lavender nectar guides abaxially, not personate, funnelform, 28–48 mm, glabrous externally, sparsely to moderately white-lanate or villous internally abaxially, tube (5–) 8–10 mm, throat 8–13 mm diam.; stamens included, pollen-sacs 1–1.3 (–1.5) mm; staminode 7–12 mm, slightly flattened distally, 0.1–0.3 mm diam., tip straight to recurved, distal 1–4 mm sparsely to densely pubescent, hairs yellow, to 1.2 mm; style 24–27 mm. Capsules 8–13 × 5.5–7 mm.

Distribution

Alta., B.C., Idaho, Mont., Oreg., Wash., Wyo.

Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Penstemon fruticosus occurs widely across the Central and Northern Rocky mountains and Cascade Ranges from southwestern Alberta and interior British Columbia to northwestern Wyoming, southern Idaho, and southern Oregon.

Drug, food, fiber, dye, and decorative uses of Penstemon fruticosus are reported among six tribes of Native Americans in northwestern North America (D. E. Moerman 1998).

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Leaf margins sharply serrate to dentate, at least distally, blades oblanceolate to elliptic, 6–25 × 3–8 mm; wc Idaho, ne Oregon, se Washington. Penstemon fruticosus var. serratus
1 Leaf margins entire, serrate, or dentate, rarely sharply serrate or dentate, blades lanceolate to oblanceolate or elliptic, (5–)8–50(–60) × 3–12 mm; sw Alberta, s British Columbia, Idaho, sw Montana, Oregon, Washington, nw Wyoming. > 2
2 Leaf blades lanceolate to oblanceolate or elliptic; corollas 28–40 mm; s British Columbia, Idaho, sw Montana, Oregon, Washington, nw Wyoming. Penstemon fruticosus var. fruticosus
2 Leaf blades lanceolate; corollas 35–48 mm; sw Alberta, s British Columbia, n Idaho, ne Washington. Penstemon fruticosus var. scouleri

"/3-3/4timescorollathroat" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Penstemon fruticosus"
not glaucous +  and glabrous +
obtuse +  and acute +
Craig C. Freeman +
(Pursh) Greene +
hairy +  and glandular-pubescent +
alternate +, opposite +, whorled +, helical +  and subopposite +
tapered +
Gerardia fruticosa +
lanceolate;oblanceolate or elliptic +
not +  and leathery +
1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
glandular-pubescent +
lanceolate;linear +
short-tubular +  and short-campanulate +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
sessile +, short-petiolate +  and petiolate +
Shrubby beardtongue +
not personate +  and lined +
bluish lavender +  and purplish or violet +
villous +, white-lanate +  and glabrous +
tubular-funnelform +
ventricose-ampliate +  and ampliate +
2.8 cm28 mm <br />0.028 m <br /> (4.8 cm48 mm <br />0.048 m <br />) +
sessile +  and petiolate +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
scale-like +  and not needlelike +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
usually distinctly smaller +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Oreg. +, Wash. +  and Wyo. +
drupe-like +
curved +  and straight +
1 +  and 4 +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
membranous +
terminal +  and axillary +
subopposite +  and opposite +
persistent +
not +, glaucous +, hairy +  and glabrous +
2 (?) +  and 6 (?) +
leathery +
orbiculate;linear;orbiculate;linear;truncate;oblanceolate;obovate;oblong;elliptic;round;lanceolate;ovate +
erose +  and entire +
dentate +, serrate +  and entire +
glandular +, glabrous +  and glandular-pubescent +
toothed +  and entire +
herbaceous +  and scarious +
bluish lavender +
axile +  and parietal +
basal +, apical +  and superior +
tenuinucellate +, unitegmic +  and hemitropous +
campylotropous +, hemianatropous +  and anatropous +
ascending +  and erect +
glandular-pubescent +
ascending;erect +
glandular-pubescent +
5 +  and 4 +
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
minute +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br />) +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (?) +  and 1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (?) +
subalternate +, alternate +, whorled +  and opposite +
climbing +  and scrambling +
sprawling +, creeping +  and prostrate +
not glaucous +, hairy +  and glabrous +
13 cm130 mm <br />0.13 m <br /> (40 cm400 mm <br />0.4 m <br />) +
2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br /> (2.7 cm27 mm <br />0.027 m <br />) +
Penstemon fruticosus +
Penstemon sect. Erianthera +
species +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
2-ridged +  and inflated +
not constricted +
secund +, continuous +  and more or less interrupted +
conic +  and cylindric +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (11 cm110 mm <br />0.11 m <br />) +
straight +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
gibbous +  and not spurred +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
subshrub +, cespitose +  and shrub +