Penstemon ambiguus var. laevissimus

Plant Information
Species: 
ambiguus
Species Authority: 
Torr.
Variety: 
laevissimus
Variety Authority: 
(D.D. Keck) N.H. Holmgren
Subgenus: 
Penstemon
Section: 
Ambiguui
Habit:
 
shrub
Habit Woodiness:
 
suffrutescent
Lifespan: 
long-lived
Plant Height - Min: 
3.00dm
Plant Height - Max: 
5.00dm
Habitat Description: 
Sandy slopes and mesas, in creosote bush, blackbrush, Artemisia filifolia, and juniper communities.
Distribution Range: 
South Nevada (Charleston Mountains), across south Utah (as far north as the San Rafael swell, Emery County) and north Arizona, east to south Colorado, Kansas, west Oklahoma, west Texas, and north Chihuahua, Mexico.
Soil Type: 
Sandy or lofty soils.
Elevation - Min: 
1000.00m
Elevation - Max: 
1600.00m
Other Notes: 

The puberulent typical variety intergrades with the glabrous variety in New Mexico and southwestern Texas and replaces it to the east. Variety laevissimus differs from variety ambiguus in have smooth stems and leaf edges that are smooth or slightly rough.

Photos by Andi Wolfe ©2014-2015 - If you would like to use any of these photos, contact Andi Wolfe at Ohio State University.

First Bloom: 
Late June
Last Bloom: 
September
Chromosome Number: 
2n = 16
References: 

Holmgren NH. 1984. Penstemon and Keckiella. In Intermountain Flora, vol. 4. Ed. Arthur Cronquist et al. Bronx: The New York Botanical Garden.