''Penstemon eatonii'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus '' Penstemon'', known by the common names Eaton's penstemon and firecracker penstemon. It is native to the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

from Southern

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 ...

to the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. It grows in many types of desert, woodland, forest, and open plateau habitat.

Description

''Penstemon eatonii'' is a

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 wide ...

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

producing several sprawling to erect stems reaching one meter in maximum height. The leaves are lance-shaped to oval, untoothed, and up to 9 centimeters in length. 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 ...

produces showy tubular flowers in shades of brilliant red, sometimes exceeding 3 cm in length. The flower is narrow and cylindrical, not spreading much at the mouth.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
eatonii Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of California Flora of Colorado Flora of Idaho Flora of New Mexico Flora of Wyoming Flora of the Rocky Mountains Natural history of the Mojave Desert Natural history of the Transverse Ranges Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Plantaginaceae-stub