''Penstemon davidsonii'' is a species of

penstemon ''Penstemon'' , the beardtongues, is a large genus of roughly 250 species of flowering plants native mostly to the Nearctic, but with a few species also found in the North American portion of the Neotropics. It is the largest genus of flowering ...

known by the common name Davidson's penstemon, honoring Dr. George Davidson. It is native to North America from the Sierra Nevada Range in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

through the

Coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

and Cascade ranges of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

into

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, ...

Description

''Penstemon davidsonii'' is a low, mat-forming

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

up to tall. The leaves are up to long, thick and firm, usually glabrous, with entire to serrulate margins. The leaves often have a paler green, tan, or reddish edge. The flowers are tubular, blue-lavender to purple, and large relative to the short stature of the plant. The calyx is covered with short hairs. Larger plants often flower abundantly, with the leaf mat nearly covered with the showy flowers. ''Penstemon davidsonii'' is included in ''Penstemon'' subgenus ''Dasanthera'', along with '' P. barrettiae'', '' P. cardwellii'', '' P. ellipticus'', '' P. fruticosus'', '' P. lyallii'', '' P. montanus'', '' P. newberryi'', and '' P. rupicola''.

Habitat

''Penstemon davidsonii'' grows on rocks or in rocky soils in sunny mountain locations.

Varieties

* ''P. davidsonii'' var. ''davidsonii'' – Davidson's penstemon * ''P. davidsonii'' var. ''menziesii'' ( D.D. Keck) Cronquist –

Menzies Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges. Derivation and history The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived f ...

' penstemon * ''P. davidsonii'' var. ''praeteritus'' Cronquist – timberline beardtongue

References

External links

davidsonii Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of British Columbia Flora of California Flora of Nevada Flora of the Cascade Range Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Plantaginaceae-stub