Penstemon linarioides var. linarioides

There are three geographical races that have gone undetected. In the Paunsaugunt and Markagunt plateaus of eastern Washington Co. and western Kane Co., Utah and the Kaibab Plateau of Coconino Co., Arizona is a low form with the flowering stems decumbent at the base and 10-20 cm long. The old stems are much branched, prostrate, woody and often root at the nodes. The leaves are narrow, 0.8-1.5 (2) mm wide. This "plateau" form includes the types of both var. sileri and var. viridis. In the Pine Valley and Beaver Dam mountains of Washington Co., Utah and Mt. Trumbull in northern Mohave Co., Arizona is a more erect, taller form. The leafy flowering stems are erect and 15-30 (37) cm high and arise from woody, decumbent, rarely prostrate old stems. The principal leaves of this "mountain" form are mostly broader, 1-2.8 mm. Athird form from further south in Arizona, from northern Yuma and Yavapai cos. to southern Apache and Gila cos. and sparingly north into southern Coconino Co., is similar to the "mountain" form in height and branching but with the narrow leaves of the 'plateau" form. A formal taxonomic recognition of these races should await a more thorough review of the P. linarioides complex. The var. linarioides remains to the southeast of our area in western New Mexico and southwestern Arizona. It differs from our variety by the retrorse hairs of the leaves being closely appressed, flat, and scale-like, of the same kind as found in P. tusharensis and P. thompsoniae, and by its staminode being densely bearded throughout.