Penstemon petiolatus

Plant Information
Species: 
petiolatus
Species Authority: 
Brandegee
Subgenus: 
Penstemon
Section: 
Peltanthera
Subsection: 
Petiolati
Habit:
 
shrub
Habit Woodiness:
 
suffrutescent
Lifespan: 
long-lived
Plant Height - Min: 
0.50dm
Plant Height - Max: 
1.50dm
Habitat Description: 
Cracks and crevices of limestone rock in shadscale, blackbrush, Buddleja, and juniper communities.
Distribution Range: 
Beaver Dam Mts. of Washington County, Utah, west across south Nevada in the Desert Range, Sheep Range, and Charleston Mts.
Soil Type: 
Limestone.
Elevation - Min: 
1000.00m
Elevation - Max: 
1700.00m
Other Notes: 

Penstemon petiolatus is unusual in its habit and habitat. This diminutive shrub with its distinctly petiolate leaves, combined with the habit of growing directly out of limestone rock outcrops, makes it quite unusual in section Peltanthera. I've visited two population sites - one in western Utah, the other in southwestern Nevada. There are differences in corolla color and staminode vestiture in these populations, which would be interesting for a population genetics study. As of 2018, the Wolfe Lab at Ohio State University is conducting a genome sequencing study on this species, with the hope of assembling an entire genome. (note by Andi Wolfe - 2018)

Photos by Andi Wolfe ©2014, ©2018 - If you would like to use any of these photos, contact Andi Wolfe at Ohio State University

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