Page authors: Don Knoke, David Giblin
Penstemon venustus
elegant beardtongue, Blue Mountain penstemon
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington, where introduced in central Washington and native to the Blue Mountains region in southeastern Washington; Washington to California, east to Idaho and Utah.

Habitat: Open, rocky slopes, from the foothills to moderate elevations in the mountains.

Flowers: May-August

Origin: Native and Introduced

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bumblebees, bees, flies, wasps, hummingbirds

Description:
General:

Perennial from a stout taproot, shrubby at the base, the numerous stems 3-8 dm. long, forming a rounded clump, glabrous throughout.

Leaves:

Leaves opposite, all cauline, the lowermost reduced, the others numerous, sessile, lanceolate to broadly oblong, 4-10 cm. long and 1-3 cm. wide, sharply serrate or occasionally sub-entire.

Flowers:

Inflorescence a narrow, terminal panicle, or nearly a raceme; calyx 2.5-6.5 mm. long, the 5 segments scarious margined and toothed, usually glabrous; corolla bright lavender to purple-violet, 25-38 mm. long, over 1 cm. wide at the mouth, glabrous inside and out except for the marginal hairs on the lobes; the 4 fertile filaments pubescent toward the tip, the lower pair exerted; anthers permanently horseshoe-shaped, 1.6-2.0 mm. long; pollen sacs remaining saccate and indehiscent on the lower half, glabrous except for the hairs along the sutures; staminode shortly exerted, with a long, white beard along the flattened tip.

Fruits:

Capsule 6-9 mm. long.

Accepted Name:
Penstemon venustus Douglas ex Lindl.
Publication: Edwards\'s Botanical Register 16: pl. 1309. 1830.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
(none provided)
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Penstemon venustus in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

WA Flora Checklist: Penstemon venustus checklist entry.

OregonFlora: Penstemon venustus information.

E-Flora BC: Penstemon venustus atlas page.

CalPhotos: Penstemon venustus photos.

USDA Plants: Penstemon venustus information.

50 photographs:
Group by