![]() These guidelines are much more visible to us in the bulging flower shapes ( Penstemon palmerii at upper left). Many species have darklines on the lower inside part of the corolla called guidelines, that act as nectar guides for pollinators. Penstemon species are in nearly every color, but the majority are whites, pinks, lilac, rose, purples, reds, red-orange and just a few yellows and bloom from the bottom of the stem to the top. Many of the hybrid penstemons have open, bulging corollas. clutei) or a bulging or open corolla (Photo at left, P. cardin alis) funnel-shaped, a tulublar flower that inflates, similar to a funnel (photo right, P. Flower shapes are tubular corolla (photo at upper right, P. Most penstemons form a dense rosette of leaves, blending into the landscape when not in flower. Leaves can be thick or thin, narrow or wider, green to blue to gray in color. ( Penstemon alamosensis), others are no more than three to six inches displaying a mat form ( P. Penstemons exhibit a variety of stem, leaf and flower shapes and arrangements. Penstemon has recently been moved into the Plantaginaceae (plantain) family from the Scrophulariaceae (figwort) family due to DNA testing. Linnaeus attempted to correct the spelling, but the original (mis)spelling survives as the official genus name, however references may sometimes (incorrectly) show the genus name as Pentstemon. palmerii.) John Mitchell originally spelled the name Penstemon, instead of Pentstemon, as one might think. (Photo at left showing the beard and open bulging corolla, P. This sterile stamen structure sometimes has a hairy tip and is located at the throat of the floral tube, hence the other common name for flowers in this genus, beardtongue. The genus name means having five stamens, four fertile and the fifth is called a staminode and is sterile. Penstemon comes from two Greek words, pente meaning five, and stemon the name of the male flower part we call a stamen. It is thought to be the eastern smooth beardtongue, Penstemon laevigatus, (then Chelone pentstemon) native from Pennsylvania, New Jersey south to south central Alabama to Florida and along the eastern seaboard. Penstemaniacs across the world treat acid soils with limestone to be able to grow penstemons, even into Scandinavia.Īlthough the majority of Penstemon species are native to the west, the species was first described by John Mitchell in 1748. Nearly all penstemons prefer alkaline soil. ( Smoke, Seed Germination and Penstemons.)Įast of the Mississippi, the penstemons can be found growing among sandy and better loamy soils. Studies have shown that smoke from wildfires increase the germination rates of many penstemon species, in addition to many other plant species in ecosystems around the world. Penstemons in areas prone to wildfires have adapted to this condition as well. Western penstemons have adapted to life in soils with scant organic content, as have most other drought tolerant plants. Occassionally, one will find drifts of penstemons happily thriving. They are usually spotted growing singly, here and there. To me, seeing these wonderful garden flowers in their natural setting is a thrill. Just about anywhere one hikes in the West in America's national parks and monuments, spring into fall, you are likely to see at least one species of penstemon. They readily colonize on disturbed land, commonly along road cuts and along highways and are included in wildflower mixes. Penstemons find home in sand dunes to generally sandy soil, among rocky scree and talus, in clay soil, and in calcareous limestone soils in the plains and the West. Penstemons thrive in prairie grasslands and deciduous woodlands of the eastern half of the United States. Natively, penstemons grow on sandy desert floors, in mountainside scree, among pinyon/juniper woodlands, oak scrub, ponderosa and aspen forests, and upwards to sub-alpine and alpine terrains. With between 250-280 species, and many, many hybrids, there are multiple species of penstemon to suit your garden conditions. (Numbers of species per state will vary by source.) About two dozen penstemons are native to Texas. Forty six species live in Idaho, 45 species in Nevada and 39 in Wyoming. Penstemons are endemic to North America and can be found in every biome across this huge continent from Alaska to Guatemala, but most are native to arid and semi-arid areas in Western states, with the center of species diversity in the Four Corners region of Utah (71 species), Colorado (62), Arizona (43) and New Mexico (42). They are the Southwest’s star wildflower. One of the biggest genera to star in mid to late spring and into summer are the penstemons. Continuing the Spring Bloom with Native Wildflowers
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |