Penstemon glaber

Pursh

Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 738. 1813.

Common names: Southern smooth beardtongue
IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 167. Mentioned on page 146, 158, 160, 168.

Stems ascending, (10–) 50–65 (–80) cm, glabrous or puberulent to pubescent, not glaucous. Leaves basal and cauline, or basal absent or reduced, not leathery, glabrous or puberulent to pubescent, not glaucous; basal and proximal cauline 20–80 (–155) × 5–20 (–45) mm, blade obovate to oblanceolate or lanceolate, base tapered, margins entire, usually undulate, apex obtuse to acute, sometimes mucronate; cauline (2 or) 3–6 (–8) pairs, sessile, 27–120 (–150) × (6–) 22–35 (–43) mm, blade lanceolate, base truncate to cordate, apex obtuse to acute. Thyrses continuous, secund, (3–) 6–26 (–30) cm, axis glabrous or puberulent, verticillasters (3–) 5–12, cymes 2–4-flowered, 2 per node; proximal bracts ovate to lanceolate, 14–100 × 2–36 mm; peduncles and pedicels glabrous or puberulent, peduncles to 71 mm, pedicels 4–14 mm. Flowers: calyx lobes ovate to orbiculate, 2–11 × 1.3–5.5 mm, glabrous or puberulent; corolla blue to violet, with reddish purple nectar guides, ventricose, 24–48 mm, glabrous externally, glabrous internally or sparsely to moderately white-lanate internally abaxially, tube 5–12 mm, throat gradually inflated, slightly constricted at orifice, 8–13 (–18) mm diam., rounded abaxially; stamens included or longer pair reaching orifice, pollen-sacs divergent, navicular, 1.4–2.5 (–2.8) mm, dehiscing incompletely, connective not splitting, sides sparsely to moderately hirsute, hairs white or tan, to 0.5 mm, rarely glabrous, sutures denticulate, teeth to 0.2 mm; staminode (15–) 18–22 mm, included or barely exserted, 0.6–1.3 mm diam., tip straight to recurved, rounded to distinctly bifurcate at apex, glabrous or distal 1–2 mm sparsely lanate, hairs pale-yellow, to 1.5 mm; style 18–20 mm. Capsules 10–17 × 5–8 mm.

Distribution

Colo., Mont., N.Dak., N.Mex., Nebr., S.Dak., Wyo.

Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

The Penstemon glaber complex has been treated with as many as four species (F. W. Pennell 1920b) or one variable species as treated herein. M. K. W. Latady (1985) found clinal variation in most morphologic characters used to distinguish taxa in the complex and recognized only one species and two varieties: var. glaber (including var. alpinus) in the plains and mountains from southeastern Montana south to central Colorado; and var. brandegeei, in the mountains from central Colorado south to north-central New Mexico. A case for recognizing var. alpinus, as is done here, can be made on morphological, phenological, and ecological grounds.

Key

1 Calyx lobes 2–4.8 mm, apices rounded or abruptly short-acuminate; staminode apices rounded. Penstemon glaber var. glaber
1 Calyx lobes 3.8–11 mm, apices long-acuminate; staminode apices rounded or bifurcate. > 2
2 Staminode apices rounded or bifurcate; corollas 24–35 mm; stems glabrous or puberulent proximally. Penstemon glaber var. alpinus
2 Staminode apices usually bifurcate; corollas 27–48 mm; stems puberulent to pubescent proximally. Penstemon glaber var. brandegeei

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

... more about "Penstemon glaber"
obtuse +  and acute +
Craig C. Freeman +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
alternate +, opposite +, whorled +, helical +  and subopposite +
truncate;cordate +
Penstemon +
lanceolate;obovate;oblanceolate or lanceolate +
not +  and leathery +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
ovate;orbiculate +
1.3mm;5.5mm +
short-tubular +  and short-campanulate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (4.3 cm43 mm <br />0.043 m <br />) +
2.7 cm27 mm <br />0.027 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
Southern smooth beardtongue +
not personate +, weakly bilabiate +  and strongly bilabiate +
blue +  and violet +
internally or +  and sparsely moderately white-lanate +
ventricose +
ventricose-ampliate +
2.4 cm24 mm <br />0.024 m <br /> (4.8 cm48 mm <br />0.048 m <br />) +
2-4-flowered +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
scale-like +  and not needlelike +
Colo. +, Mont. +, N.Dak. +, N.Mex. +, Nebr. +, S.Dak. +  and Wyo. +
drupe-like +
curved +  and straight +
1 +  and 4 +
pale-yellow +, tan +  and white +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
membranous +
terminal +  and axillary +
persistent +  and deciduous +
cauline +  and basal +
orbiculate;linear;orbiculate;linear;truncate;oblanceolate;obovate;oblong;elliptic;round;lanceolate;ovate +
glutinous +
puberulent +, glandular-pubescent +  and glabrous +
undulate +
axile +  and parietal +
basal +, apical +  and superior +
tenuinucellate +, unitegmic +  and hemitropous +
campylotropous +, hemianatropous +  and anatropous +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
spreading +, erect +  and ascending +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br />) +
spreading;erect;ascending +
puberulent +  and glabrous +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (7.1 cm71 mm <br />0.071 m <br />) +
5 +  and 4 +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.28 cm2.8 mm <br />0.0028 m <br />) +
sigmoid +  and navicular-sigmoid +
0.14 cm1.4 mm <br />0.0014 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
1/5 +  and 1/3 +
1.4 cm14 mm <br />0.014 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
ovate +  and lanceolate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (3.6 cm36 mm <br />0.036 m <br />) +
Fl. Amer. Sept. +
latady1985a +
minute +
tan +  and brown or dark-brown +
angled +  and angled-elongate +
0.09 cm0.9 mm <br />9.0e-4 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
papillate +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br />) +
exserted +  and included +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (?) +  and 2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br /> (?) +
short-petiolate +  and petiolate +
65 cm650 mm <br />0.65 m <br /> (80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br />) +
glutinous +
climbing +  and scrambling +
sprawling +, creeping +  and prostrate +
not glaucous +, puberulent +  and pubescent +
reduced +
50 cm500 mm <br />0.5 m <br /> (65 cm650 mm <br />0.65 m <br />) +
not leathery +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
papillate +
denticulate +
Penstemon subg. Habroanthus +
Penstemon glaber +
Penstemon sect. Glabri +
species +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
rounded +  and inflated +
constricted +
secund +  and continuous +
26 cm260 mm <br />0.26 m <br /> (30 cm300 mm <br />0.3 m <br />) +
cylindric +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (26 cm260 mm <br />0.26 m <br />) +
straight +
rounded +  and distinctly bifurcate +
smooth +  and papillate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br />) +
gibbous +  and not spurred +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
petiolate +  and sessile +
cauline +  and proximal +