Penstemon incertus

Brandegee

Bot. Gaz. 27: 454. 1899.

Common names: Mojave beardtongue
Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 251. Mentioned on page 93, 245, 246, 247, 250, 252.

Shrubs or subshrubs. Stems ascending to erect, 22–100 cm, glaucous. Leaves: cauline 6–18 pairs, sessile, (8–) 25–70 × (1–) 2.5–4 (–6) mm, blade lanceolate to linear, base tapered, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate. Thyrses interrupted, cylindric, 3–27 cm, axis sparsely glandular-pubescent, rarely glabrous, verticillasters (2–) 4–9, cymes 1–3 (–5) -flowered; proximal bracts lanceolate to linear, 3–35 × 1–5 mm; peduncles and pedicels spreading or ascending, glandular-pubescent. Flowers: calyx lobes ovate, 3.8–6 × 2.6–4 mm, glabrous or sparsely glandular-pubescent; corolla blue to violet or purple, without nectar guides, strongly bilabiate, ventricose-ampliate, 23–32 mm, glabrous or glandular-pubescent externally, sparsely white-lanate internally abaxially, glandular-pubescent adaxially, tube 7–11 mm, length 1.8–2 times calyx lobes, throat gradually inflated, not constricted at orifice, 8–13 mm diam., slightly 2-ridged abaxially; stamens included, filaments of shorter pair glandular-puberulent proximally, pollen-sacs navicular, 1.8–2.4 mm, sutures denticulate, teeth to 0.1 mm; staminode 10–13 mm, included, 0.6–0.7 mm diam., tip straight, distal 3–7 mm sparsely to densely pilose, hairs yellow, to 1 mm; proximal 1–3 mm glandular-pubescent; style 19–23 mm, glabrous. Capsules 10–17 × 5–7 mm, glabrous.


Phenology: Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat: Sandy soils, sagebrush shrublands, Joshua tree and pinyon-juniper woodlands.
Elevation: 800–1800 m.

Discussion

Populations of Penstemon incertus are concentrated in the southern Sierra Nevada and adjacent Tehachapi Mountains, with other populations scattered in mountain ranges in and near the Mojave Desert. The species is documented in Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Tulare counties. Occasional specimens from the Kingston Range and the eastern flank of the southern Sierra Nevada combine features of P. incertus and P. fruticiformis.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"/4+timescorollathroat" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."-2timescalyxlobes" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Penstemon incertus"
acute +  and acuminate +
Craig C. Freeman +
Brandegee +
glabrous +  and glandular-pubescent +
alternate +, opposite +, whorled +, helical +  and subopposite +
tapered +
lanceolate;linear +
not +  and leathery +
glandular-pubescent +  and glabrous +
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 /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
Mojave beardtongue +
blue +  and violet or purple +
glandular-pubescent +, white-lanate +  and glabrous +
cylindric-funnelform +, tubular-funnelform +  and ventricose +
ventricose-ampliate +
2.3 cm23 mm <br />0.023 m <br /> (3.2 cm32 mm <br />0.032 m <br />) +
1-3(-5)-flowered +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
scale-like +  and not needlelike +
drupe-like +
800–1800 m. +
curved +  and straight +
glandular-puberulent +
1 +  and 4 +
Sandy soils, sagebrush shrublands, Joshua tree and pinyon-juniper woodlands. +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
membranous +
terminal +  and axillary +
persistent +  and deciduous +
cauline +, proximal +  and basal +
glaucous +  and glabrous +
leathery +
orbiculate;linear;orbiculate;linear;truncate;oblanceolate;obovate;oblong;elliptic;round;lanceolate;ovate +
erose +  and entire +
glandular-pubescent +  and glabrous +
denticulate +, toothed +  and entire +
axile +  and parietal +
basal +, apical +  and superior +
tenuinucellate +, unitegmic +  and hemitropous +
campylotropous +, hemianatropous +  and anatropous +
ascending +  and spreading +
glandular-pubescent +
ascending;spreading +
glandular-pubescent +
5 +  and 4 +
Flowering Apr–Jul. +
divergent +  and opposite +
navicular-sigmoid +
0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br /> (0.24 cm2.4 mm <br />0.0024 m <br />) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
lanceolate +  and linear +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
glandular-pubescent +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
minute +
brown +  and dark-brown or black +
rounded +  and angled +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br /> (0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +  and 1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br /> (?) +
subalternate +, alternate +, whorled +  and opposite +
climbing +  and scrambling +
sprawling +, creeping +  and prostrate +
ascending;erect +
22 cm220 mm <br />0.22 m <br /> (100 cm1,000 mm <br />1 m <br />) +
1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br /> (2.3 cm23 mm <br />0.023 m <br />) +
papillate +
denticulate +
Penstemon incertus +
Penstemon sect. Spectabiles +
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 +
cylindric +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (27 cm270 mm <br />0.27 m <br />) +
straight +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br />) +
gibbous +  and not spurred +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
subshrub +  and shrub +