Penstemon angustifolius var. caudatus

Plant Information

Species:

angustifolius

Species Authority:

Nutt. ex Pursh

Variety:

caudatus

Variety Authority:

(A. Heller) Rydb.

Subgenus:

Penstemon

Section:

Coerulei

Habit:

herbaceous perennial

Habit Woodiness:

herb

Lifespan:

short-lived

Plant Height - Min:

2.00dm

Plant Height - Max:

4.00dm

Habitat Description:

In Colorado, on the sand hills and other sandy areas of the plains.

Distribution Range:

Eastern Kansas to eastern Colorado and southward to northern New Mexico and western Oklahoma. In Colorado, from Weld County eastward and southward. One specimen also from Montezuma County of the western slope.

Soil Type:

Sandy soils.

Elevation - Min:

900.00m

Elevation - Max:

2300.00m

Other Notes:

P. angustifolius appears not to occur in the southern range of the subspecies, while the latter does not occur in the northern part of the range of the species. The broader, and often caudate, bracts upon which P. caudatus was based, show such complete intergradation with the narrower ones of the species, that the assignment of many specimens in the overlapping ranges is wholly arbitrary. In the subspecies, the plants are generally more robust. In addition, the color of the corolla in the subspecies is often lighter than in the suggesting a delicate balance of the hydrogen ion concentration in the cell sap for expression of the blue or pink anthocyan pigments.

First Bloom:

Late April

Last Bloom:

June

Chromosome Number:

2n = 16

References:

Harrington, HD. 1964. Manual of the plants of Colorado. Denver, Colorado: Sage Books.