''Penstemon davidsonii'' is a species of

penstemon ''Penstemon'' , the beardtongues, is a large genus of roughly 280 species of flowering plants native to North America from northern Canada to Central America. It is the largest genus of flowering plants endemic to North America. As well as bein ...

known by the common name Davidson's penstemon, honoring Dr. George Davidson. It is native to western North America.

Description

''Penstemon davidsonii'' is a low, mat-forming

subshrub A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or undershrub is either a small shrub (e.g. prostrate shrubs) or a perennial that is largely herbaceous but slightly woody at the base (e.g. garden pink and florist's chrysanthemum). The term is often interch ...

up to that can be tall, but is usually no more than tall. Its stems are covered in fine, short hairs or in stiff backwards facing ones. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are evergreen and small. Each stem with have five to ten pairs pairs of leaves ranging in length from 0.5 to 3 centimeters, but usually between 1 and 2 cm. Their surface is hairless or faintly covered in fine hairs, but is never

glaucous ''Glaucous'' (, ) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens''), ...

or waxy. The edges of the leaves may be smooth or toothed. The leaves often have a paler green, tan, or reddish edge. The flowers are tubular, blue-lavender to purple, and large relative to the short stature of the plant. The calyx is covered with short hair. Larger plants often flower abundantly, with the leaf mat nearly covered with the showy flowers.

Taxonomy

The scientific description and name of ''Penstemon davidsonii'' of was published in 1892 by

Edward Lee Greene Edward Lee Greene (August 20, 1843–November 10, 1915) was an American botanist known for his numerous publications including the two-part ''Landmarks of Botanical History'' and the describing of over 4,400 species of plants in the American W ...

. However, the first description of any part of the species was of ''Penstemon douglasii'' described by

William Jackson Hooker Sir William Jackson Hooker (6 July 178512 August 1865) was an English botany, botanist and botanical illustrator, who became the first director of Kew Gardens, Kew when in 1841 it was recommended to be placed under state ownership as a botan ...

in 1838, which is considered a

heterotypic synonym In taxonomy, the scientific classification of living organisms, a synonym is an alternative scientific name for the accepted scientific name of a taxon. The botanical and zoological codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently ...

of ''Penstemon davidsonii'' var. ''menziesii''.

Varieties

''Penstemon davidsonii'' has three accepted

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''Penstemon davidsonii'' var. ''davidsonii''

The autonymic variety is the most widespread, growing from British Columbia to California. It grows on rock outcrops and

talus slope Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of a cliff or other steep rocky mass that has accumulated through periodic rockfall. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. The term ''scree'' is ap ...

s, the piles of rocks at the base of cliffs at elevations from to as hight as .

''Penstemon davidsonii'' var. ''menziesii''

The variety ''menziesii'' was described by David D. Keck as a subspecies in 1957 and then as a variety by Arthur J. Cronquist in 1959. Like var ''davidsonii'' it grows on rocky outcrops, slopes, and ledges, but at much lower elevations. From to . It grows from Oregon to British Columbia.

''Penstemon davidsonii'' var. ''praeteritus''

Cronquist described this variety in 1964. It grow on isolated, dry peaks in the

Great Basin The Great Basin () is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets to the ocean, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja Californi ...

. In the state of Nevada known populations come from the Jackson Mountains and the

Santa Rosa Range The Santa Rosa Range is a mountain range in Humboldt County, Nevada, United States. Most of the range is included within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The highest peaks in the range are Granite Peak (9732 feet, 2966 m) and Santa Rosa P ...

in Humboldt County. In Oregon it occurs on the Pueblo Mountains and

Steens Mountain Steens Mountain is a large fault-block mountain in the northwest United States, located in Harney County, Oregon. Stretching some north to south, on its east side it rises from the Alvord Desert at an elevation of about to at the summit. Ste ...

in Harney County. They are quite isolated from other populations of ''Penstemon davidsonii''.

Names

''Penstemon davidsonii'' is known by several common names. It is occasionally called "Alpine penstemon". The variety ''Penstemon davidsonii'' var. ''davidsonii'' is commonly called the "timberline penstemon". It shares the name "creeping penstemon" with ''

Penstemon teucrioides ''Penstemon teucrioides'', commonly known as grayleaf creeping penstemon, germander penstemon and germander beardtounge, is a perennial species of plant in the large and colorful ''Penstemon'' genus. It is a ground hugging plant that is native to ...

''.

Distribution and habitat

''Penstemon davidsonii'' is native to North America from the Sierra Nevada Range in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

through the

Coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

and

Cascade Cascade, or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science * Air shower (physics), a cascade (particle shower) of subatomic particles and ionized nuclei ** Particle shower, a cascade of secondary particles produced as the result of a high ...

ranges of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

into

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. It grows on rocks or in rocky soils in sunny mountain locations.

Conservation

The conservation organization

NatureServe NatureServe, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Arlington County, Virginia, United States, US, that provides proprietary wildlife conservation-related data, tools, and services to private and government clients, partner organizations, and ...

evaluated ''Penstemon davidsonii'' in 2016 and rated it as apparently secure (G4). They also evaluated it in British Columbia and found it to be secure (S5). They have not evaluated the rest of its range.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17514283 davidsonii Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Nevada Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state)