Penstemon harbourii

Penstemon harbourii
In Gunnison County, Colorado

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Penstemon
Species:
P. harbourii
Binomial name
Penstemon harbourii

Penstemon harbourii, commonly called scree penstemon, is a plant endemic to the high mountain ranges of Colorado.

Description

Scree penstemon is a plant that at times forms a solid mat from its long rootstalks.[2] The caudex is also rhizome-like. Its above ground stems do not have a surface coating of waxes and are covered in backwards pointing hairs. They grow along the ground, turning upwards at the end or grow upwards from the base, somewhat, reaching 4 to 18 centimeters (1.6 to 7.1 in) in length.[3]

On each stem there will be two to four pairs of leaves that range from nearly hairless to hairy, but are not leathery in texture. They measure 7–28 millimeters long and 3–12 mm wide and are shaped like a spoon or reversed spearhead without teeth on the edges. The leaf tip can be rounded or pointed.[3] Leaves lower down on the stems tend to be attached by short leaf stems while those further up attach directly to the main stem.[2]

The inflorescence is the top 1–3 cm of the stems and is more or less secund, with all the flowers facing in one direction.[3] Their flowers are pale blue, lilac, or reddish purple in color with glandular hairs on the outside.[2]

Taxonomy

Penstemon harbourii was scientifically described and named in 1862 by Asa Gray. It is classifed as a species in the genus Penstemon within the wider family Plantaginaceae. It has no subspecies or synonyms.[4]

Names

The species name harbourii was selected by Gray to honor plant collector Jared Patterson Harbour.[5][2] Penstemon harbourii is known by the common name scree penstemon related to it growing on scree, the jumbled rocks found at the base of cliffs.[6] Related to its scientific name it is also known as Harbour alpine penstemon and and Harbour's penstemon.[7][8]

Range and habitat

The scree penstemon is grows only on high mountains in the state of Colorado. It can be found at elevations of 3,200 to 4,200 meters (10,500 to 13,800 ft).[3]

It is limited to rocky areas such as scree slopes, boulder fields, and alpine talus.[3]

References

Citations

Sources

Books
  • Duft, Joseph F.; Moseley, Robert K. (1989). Alpine Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press. ISBN 978-0-87842-238-8. OCLC 19325552. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  • Heil, Kenneth D.; O'Kane, Steve L. Jr.; Reeves, Linda Mary; Clifford, Arnold (2013). Flora of the Four Corners Region: Vascular Plants of the San Juan River Drainage, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah (First ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. ISBN 978-1-930723-84-9. ISSN 0161-1542. LCCN 2012949654. OCLC 859541992. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  • Nelson, Ruth Ashton; Williams, Roger Lawrence (1992). Handbook of Rocky Mountain Plants (Fourth ed.). Niwot, Colorado: Roberts Rinehart Publishers. ISBN 978-0-911797-96-1. OCLC 26794859. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  • Weber, William A. (1961). Handbook of Plants of the Colorado Front Range: Keys for the Identification of the Ferns, Conifers, and Flowering Plants of the Central Rocky Mountains from Pikes Peak to Rocky Mountain National Park, and from the Plains to the Continental Divide (Revised ed.). Boulder, Colorado: University of Colorado Press. OCLC 3975556. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  • Zwinger, Ann; Willard, Beatrice E. (1972). Land Above the Trees: A Guide to American Alpine Tundra (First ed.). New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 978-0-06-014823-2. OCLC 539913. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
Web sources
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