''Penstemon pahutensis'' is a species of penstemon known by the common name Pahute Mesa beardtongue, or simply Pahute beardtongue. It is native to the desert hills and mountains of southern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, 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. N ...

, including the

Pahute Mesa Pahute Mesa or Paiute Mesa is one of four major nuclear test regions within the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). It occupies in the northwest corner of the NNSS in Nevada. The eastern section is known as Area 19 and the western section as A ...

for which it is named.CalFlora Botanical Names
/ref> It can also be found in a few areas over the border in

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 ...

. It 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 ...

growing up to tall. The paired, narrow leaves are linear to lance-shaped and up to 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 ...

bears blue-purple flowers up to long. The inside of the wide mouth of the flower is lined with white or yellow hairs, and the

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. ...

is coated in yellow hairs.

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentNevada Natural Heritage Program Rare Plant Fact Sheet
pahutensis Flora of California Flora of Nevada Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Plantaginaceae-stub