Species Identification

Interested in the identification of penstemons? Please select a species then click on submit:

Attribute	The current selection is Penstemon_palmeri
Classification	Penstemon Penstemon Peltanthera Peltanthera
General	Palmer’s Penstemon. Blooms: May to August.
Anther	explanate (flat), widely divaricate (spreading), white smooth.
Staminode	Long-exserted, densely bearded, deeply curved and dilated at tip.
Leaves	15 cm (6”) long & ½-1/3 as wide; lower leaves to 10 cm (4”) & 1/3 as wide, connate (joined around stems), (leaves in 2 species shorter; rarely, all leaves vary to medium width, 1/5 as wide as long), silver-bluish.
Stems	5-18 dm (20-64”) tall.
Inflorescense	Herbage usually pubescent (hairy), cyme usually 1-2 cm (to ¾”) long, 1-4 flowered, inflorescence can be ½ the height of the plant, secund (blooms on one side of stem).
Corolla	25-40 mm (1-11/2”) long, white tinged pink to deep pink, balloon-shape, sometimes glabrous (hairless), usually large, lobes very large (1/2 length of corolla) red-violet guidelines, intense clover-like scent (attractive to bumblebees).
Flower Color
Calyx	4-6 mm (1/4”) long, lobes usually ovate.
Habitat	Washes, roadside, canyon floors, in creosote-bush scrub to juniper/pinyon woodland; 1100-2300 m (3700-7700’) elev.
Range	Var. palmeri: corolla tube 4-6 mm (1/4”) long, inflorescence sticky-pubescent, sw UT, NV, e Desert Mts. of se CA, c AZ (introduced in ID and elsewhere). var. macranthus: Corolla tube 7-8 mm (3/8”) long, leaves sometimes not connate, nc NV. var: eglandulosus: Corolla tube 4-6 mm long, inflorescence and stems NOT hairy pubescent, s UT.