Penstemon rubicundus

Plant Information
Species: 
rubicundus
Species Authority: 
D.D. Keck
Subgenus: 
Penstemon
Section: 
Peltanthera
Subsection: 
Peltanthera
Habit:
 
herbaceous perennial
Habit Woodiness:
 
herb
Lifespan: 
long-lived
Plant Height - Min: 
5.00dm
Plant Height - Max: 
12.00dm
Habitat Description: 
Rocky canyon floor and slopes.
Distribution Range: 
Endemic to the Wassuk Range, Mineral County, and an outlier to the west in the south Pine Nut Mountains, Douglas County, Nevada.
Elevation - Min: 
1400.00m
Elevation - Max: 
2000.00m
Other Notes: 

In unveiling this striking species, Keck suggested a possilble hybrid ancestry involving P. palmeri, which approaches the Wassuk Range 60 km from the north, and P. floridus, which approaches the area 40 km from the south. Keck's hypothesis seems probable. In many of its characters P. rubicundus resembles one or the other species, and the corolla size and shape, an important characteristic of the Spectabiles species, is intermediate between the two. An interesting specimen from Chiatovich Creek in the White Mountains appears to be intermediate between P. rubicundus and P. floridus. It is from within the range of P. floridus var. floridus.

First Bloom: 
June
Last Bloom: 
August
References: 

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