Penstemon utahensis

Plant Information
Species: 
utahensis
Species Authority: 
Eastw.
Subgenus: 
Penstemon
Section: 
Peltanthera
Subsection: 
Centranthifolii
Habit:
 
herbaceous perennial
Habit Woodiness:
 
herb
Lifespan: 
long-lived
Plant Height - Min: 
1.50dm
Plant Height - Max: 
5.00dm
Habitat Description: 
Sagebrush and pinyon-juniper communities.
Distribution Range: 
Canyon Lands of Utah from south Emery and south Grand counties, south and west across the south Utah and the Grand Canyon plateaus to the basin Ranges in Clark County, Nevada and adjacent San Bernardino County, California (Kingston and New York Mountains). Occasional in canyons and on mesas, Lower Sonoran Zone; ranges of the eastern Mojave Desert, California.
Soil Type: 
Often in sandstone derived soils.
Elevation - Min: 
1200.00m
Elevation - Max: 
2000.00m
Other Notes: 

The geographical distributions of P. utahensis and the closely relted P. confusus overlap in the Pine Valley Mountains of Washington Co., Utah, where intermediate forms predominate. Red coloration in Penstemon is usually associated with the loss of landing platform, an adaptation for hovering hummingbirds, but the brilliant red-colored P. utahensis has a very prominent, projecting lower lip.

First Bloom: 
March
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.