Penstemon thompsoniae
Encyclopedia
Penstemon thompsoniae is a species of penstemon
known by the common name Thompson's beardtongue. It is native to the southwestern United States where it grows in woodlands and other desert and plateau habitat, to the subalpine
climate of local mountains. It is a mat-forming perennial herb, ashy gray-green with a thick coating of hairs, growing no more than 15 centimeters tall from a woody base. The oval or spoon-shaped leaves are up to 2 centimeters long. The short inflorescence
bears wide-mouthed tubular purple flowers up to 2 centimeters in length. They are glandular on the outer surface and somewhat hairy on the inner, the staminode
coated in long orange hairs.
Of the two subspecies of this plant, only ssp. thompsoniae occurs throughout the species' range. Jaeger's beardtongue, ssp. jaegeri, is endemic to southern Nevada
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Penstemon
Penstemon , Beard-tongue, is a large genus of North American and East Asian plants traditionally placed in the Scrophulariaceae family. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae...
known by the common name Thompson's beardtongue. It is native to the southwestern United States where it grows in woodlands and other desert and plateau habitat, to the subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
climate of local mountains. It is a mat-forming perennial herb, ashy gray-green with a thick coating of hairs, growing no more than 15 centimeters tall from a woody base. The oval or spoon-shaped leaves are up to 2 centimeters long. The short inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
bears wide-mouthed tubular purple flowers up to 2 centimeters in length. They are glandular on the outer surface and somewhat hairy on the inner, the staminode
Staminode
In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen. This means that it does not produce pollen. Staminodes are frequently inconspicuous and stamen-like, usually occurring at the inner whorl of the flower, but are also sometimes long enough to protrude from the...
coated in long orange hairs.
Of the two subspecies of this plant, only ssp. thompsoniae occurs throughout the species' range. Jaeger's beardtongue, ssp. jaegeri, is endemic to southern Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
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