Penstemon californicus

Stems ascending to erect, (5–) 8–30 cm, retrorsely hairy, hairs white, scalelike. Leaves ± leathery or not, densely retrorsely hairy, hairs appressed, white, scalelike; cauline 10–30 pairs, petiolate, 8–16 × 1.5–2.5 mm, blade oblanceolate, base tapered, apex mucronate. Thyrses interrupted or continuous, secund, (1–) 2–9 cm, axis retrorsely hairy with appressed, white, scalelike hairs, verticillasters 2–13, cymes 1–4-flowered, 1 per node; proximal bracts oblanceolate, 2–10 × 0.5–1.5 mm; peduncles and pedicels spreading to ascending, retrorsely hairy with appressed, white, scalelike hairs, and sparsely glandular-pubescent. Flowers: calyx lobes ovate, 3.5–5.5 × 1.5–2 mm, scarious-margined, retrorsely hairy with appressed, white, scalelike hairs, and sparsely glandular-pubescent; corolla purple to violet, lined internally abaxially with reddish purple nectar guides, tubular-funnelform, 14–18 mm, sparsely white-lanate internally abaxially, tube 5–6 mm, throat gradually inflated, 4.5–6 mm diam., 2-ridged abaxially; stamens included, filaments glabrous or sparsely puberulent and sometimes with appressed, white, scalelike hairs proximally, pollen-sacs opposite, navicular, 0.9–1.4 mm, sutures papillate; staminode 7–9 mm, reaching orifice or exserted, flattened distally, 0.3–0.4 mm diam., tip straight to recurved, distal 4–5 mm pilose, hairs yellow, to 0.7 mm; style 9–11 mm. Capsules 5–7 × 4–5 mm.

Phenology: Flowering May–Jul(–Aug).
Habitat: Sandy or gravelly soils, pine-juniper woodlands, pine forests.
Elevation: 1200–2300 m.

Calif., Mexico (Baja California)

Discussion

In California, Penstemon californicus is known from the San Jacinto Mountains in Orange and Riverside counties; it also occurs in the Sierra San Pedro Mártir in Baja California. The chromosome number of 2n = 16 reported by N. H. Holmgren (1993) is likely an error based on a count for Scrophularia californica reported in P. H. Raven et al. (1965) and later misattributed to P. californicus by D. V. Clark (1971) as n = 48 (the count listed in Raven et al.), and then corrected to 2n = 16.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa