''Nothochelone'' is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the

plantain family Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as snapdragon and foxglove. It is unrelated to the banana-like fruit also called "plantain." In older cl ...

containing the single species ''Nothochelone nemorosa'', which is known by the common name woodland beardtongue. Originally described as ''Penstemon nemorosus'', the plant is very similar in appearance to the penstemons, but was separated and placed into its own genus on the basis of slight morphological differences, such as winged seeds.Straw, R. M. (1966). A redefinition of ''Penstemon'' (Scrophulariaceae). ''Brittonia'' 18:80-95. ''Nothochelone'' is native to western North America from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

to northern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where it grows in mountain forests. It is a perennial herb producing an erect, hairy stem up to a meter tall from a

caudex A caudex (plural: caudices) of a plant is a stem, but the term is also used to mean a rootstock and particularly a basal stem structure from which new growth arises.pages 456 and 695 In the strict sense of the term, meaning a stem, "caudex" is m ...

. The oppositely arranged leaves are lance-shaped to oval, pointed, toothed, and up to 14 centimeters long. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

of flowers resembling penstemons, widely tubular with two lobed lips and a hairy

staminode In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. ...

. The flower may exceed 3 centimeters in length and is light to dark pink in color. The fruit is a capsule containing the small winged seeds.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae genera Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Monotypic Lamiales genera Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Plantaginaceae-stub