''Penstemon penlandii'' is a rare species of flowering plant 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 ...

known by the common names Penland penstemon and Penland's beardtongue. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

in the United States, where it is known only from a strip of land about five miles long in central Grand County.''Penstemon penlandii''.

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

. There are two occurrences totalling about 8600 individuals. This is a federally listed

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

of the United States.USFWS
Final rule to determine ''Astragalus osterhoutii'' and ''Penstemon penlandii'' to be endangered species.
''Federal Register'' July 13, 1989. This plant was discovered in the 1980s during surveys for Osterhout's milkvetch (''Astragalus osterhoutii''), another rare local endemic. The two plants are found only in Middle Park, a valley with seleniferous

badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...

that host a unique flora.''Penstemon penlandii''.
Center for Plant Conservation. The penstemon grows in

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

that is rich in selenium, an element toxic to most other plants in high concentrations. In adjacent stretches of land that have a lower selenium content the penstemon population becomes thinner and it is replaced by sagebrush. The penstemon grows in the shade of the banks of runoff channels that are periodically flooded; the plant's deep, ropelike roots and

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

anchor it to underground

shale Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock formed from mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4) and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other minerals, especial ...

deposits to prevent it from being torn away during

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

s.Weber, W. A. (1986)
''Penstemon penlandii'', spec. nov. (SCR) from Colorado.
''Phytologia'' 60 459. This

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 ...

arises from a woody caudex attached to the thick root system. The flowering stems are up to 25 centimeters tall with small, linear leaves. 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 ...

contains up to 15 purple-blue flowers each measuring roughly 1.5 centimeters long. They are tubular opening into wide mouths containing

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. ...

s tipped with orange hairs. The plants are partly

self-compatible Self-incompatibility (SI) is a general name for several genetic mechanisms that prevent self-fertilization in sexually reproducing organisms, and thus encourage outcrossing and allogamy. It is contrasted with separation of sexes among individuals ...

, but for more efficient fruit production the flowers must be visited by

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the maj ...

s.Tepedino, V. J., et al. (1999)
The reproductive biology and effective pollinators of the endangered beardtongue ''Penstemon penlandii'' (Scrophulariaceae).
USDA ARS Publications. Many species of bees, especially of genus ''

Osmia Mason bee is a name now commonly used for species of bees in the genus ''Osmia'', of the family Megachilidae. Mason bees are named for their habit of using mud or other "masonry" products in constructing their nests, which are made in naturally ...

'', pollinate the flowers, as does the beardtongue-specialist pollen wasp ''

Pseudomasaris vespoides ''Pseudomasaris vespoides'' is a species of pollen wasp in the family Vespidae The Vespidae are a large (nearly 5000 species), diverse, cosmopolitan family of wasps, including nearly all the known eusocial wasps (such as ''Polistes fuscatus' ...

''.Tepedino, V
Pollen Wasps.
USFS. Blooming occurs in June and July. The plant occurs in a section of land in northern Middle Park measuring about 5 miles or 2.4 kilometers long and under a kilometer wide. It was added to the US Endangered Species List the same day as its fellow local endemic Osterhout's milkvetch. They are both naturally rare and are threatened by off-road vehicle use in their barren, dry habitat. The penstemon is threatened by the maintenance of a nearby road. Mineral exploration may also be a threat in the area. File:Kremmling beardtongue (7640379008).jpg, Blooming plant in early July

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7164875 penlandii Flora of Colorado Grand County, Colorado Plants described in 1986