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Penstemon palmeri A. Gray

Palmer’s penstemon

KingdomPlantaePlants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
SubkingdomTracheobiontaVascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
DivisionMagnoliophytaFlowering plants, also known as angiosperms
ClassMagnoliopsidaDicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
SubclassAsteridaeA large class that encompasses asters
OrderLamialesAromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary
FamilyPlantaginaceaePlantains
GenusPenstemon“Beard-tongues,” a reference to flower shape
SpeciespalmeriAfter Edward Palmer (1829-1911) (From Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, June 11, 1867)

About plant names...

Palmer’s penstemon is native to the American southwest. It is found along roadsides, in canyons and washes, in creosote scrub and in juniper woodlands, at elevations between 3609-7546′ (1.1-2.3 km).

Plants: 1½-6½′ (50-200 cm) in height. Though most penstemons lack a detectable odor, this one has fragrance.

Leaves: Usually opposite, toothed. Leaves are sparse on the stem, and fused to it.

Flowers: On spikes (panicles atop the plant. Each flower is tubular, with five lobes, two above, three below. There is a central yellowish staminode that looks like a diminutive bottle brush. Flowers are white, pink, or rarely red, with red stripes. The flowers usually point in the same direction. They appear from May to June, or in some areas, as long as March to September.

Fruits: Not mentioned even in the Jepson Herbarium Flora, so apparently inconspicuous.

Online References:

Wildflowers, Ferns & Trees of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah

Www.americansouthwest.net

Botanyphoto.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca

Inside.ewu.edu

Southeastern Arizona Wildflowers and the Plants of the Sonoran Desert

Wikimedia Commons (photos)

The Jepson Manual

Penstemon palmeri (Palmer’s penstemon)

4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, Cali­fornia · ≈ 8 × 12″ (20 × 31 cm)

Penstemon palmeri (Palmer’s penstemon)

6/2/2009 · Middle Emerald Falls Trail, Zion National Park, Utah · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm)

Penstemon palmeri (Palmer’s penstemon)

4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, Cali­fornia · ≈ 4 × 6″ (10 × 15 cm)

 

Penstemon palmeri description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.


 

Penstemon palmeri (Palmer’s penstemon)

6/2/2009 · Zion National Park, Utah · ≈ 3 × 5″ (8.2 × 12 cm) ID is uncertain

Penstemon palmeri (Palmer’s penstemon)

4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, Cali­fornia · ≈ 12 × 8″ (31 × 20 cm)

Penstemon palmeri (Palmer’s penstemon)

4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, Cali­fornia · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Penstemon palmeri (Palmer’s penstemon)

4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, Cali­fornia · ≈ 5 × 8″ (13 × 20 cm)

Penstemon palmeri (Palmer’s penstemon)

4/30/2018 · Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve, Cali­fornia · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm)

Range: Zones 6-10:

About this map...