| Revision as of 20:37, 2 January 2025 editPbritti (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers38,712 edits Add← Previous edit | Revision as of 20:41, 2 January 2025 edit undoPbritti (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers38,712 edits Add about pollinatorsNext edit → | ||
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| ''Penstemon harringtonii'' is a ] flowering plant that ranges between {{convert|3|dm|in}} and {{convert|7|dm|in}} tall. Plants have one or a few stems stems; each are erect and ], and can be purpleish on their upper portions.<ref name=Penland/> A typical plant will have one unbranched stem.<ref name=SCP/>{{rp|11}} | ''Penstemon harringtonii'' is a ] flowering plant that ranges between {{convert|3|dm|in}} and {{convert|7|dm|in}} tall. Plants have one or a few stems stems; each are erect and ], and can be purpleish on their upper portions.<ref name=Penland/> A typical plant will have one unbranched stem.<ref name=SCP/>{{rp|11}} | ||
| The plants flower between June and July.<ref name=Johnson>{{cite web|url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PEHA11|title=''Penstemon harringtonii''|website=wildflower.org|publisher=]|access-date=January 2, 2024}}</ref> Flowers are arranged in spikes with bilateral symmetry on the top half of the stem. The flowers on ''P. harringtonii'' have distinctive lower pairs of ] that are ] (extend beyond the length of the flower tube).<ref name=SCP/>{{rp|11}} Flowers range in color across pink, blue, and purple,<ref name=Walking/><ref name=SCP/>{{rp|11}} with the '']'' reporting "corolla blue to violet, lavender, or pinkish blue".<ref name=FNA>{{cite book|chapter-url=http://floranorthamerica.org/Penstemon_harringtonii|chapter=''Penstemon harringtonii''|title=]|volume=17|page=119}}</ref> The species is pollinated by ]s |
The plants flower between June and July.<ref name=Johnson>{{cite web|url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PEHA11|title=''Penstemon harringtonii''|website=wildflower.org|publisher=]|access-date=January 2, 2024}}</ref> Flowers are arranged in spikes with bilateral symmetry on the top half of the stem. The flowers on ''P. harringtonii'' have distinctive lower pairs of ] that are ] (extend beyond the length of the flower tube).<ref name=SCP/>{{rp|11}} Flowers range in color across pink, blue, and purple,<ref name=Walking/><ref name=SCP/>{{rp|11}} with the '']'' reporting "corolla blue to violet, lavender, or pinkish blue".<ref name=FNA>{{cite book|chapter-url=http://floranorthamerica.org/Penstemon_harringtonii|chapter=''Penstemon harringtonii''|title=]|volume=17|page=119}}</ref> The species is primarily pollinated by ]s,<ref name=CPC/> including at least seven species in the genus '']'', and ]s.<ref name=SCP/>{{rp|22}} | ||
| ==Taxonomy== | ==Taxonomy== | ||
Revision as of 20:41, 2 January 2025
Species of flowering plant
| Penstemon harringtonii | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
 Vulnerable (NatureServe) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Penstemon |
| Species: | P. harringtonii |
| Binomial name | |
| Penstemon harringtonii Penland | |
Penstemon harringtonii, commonly known as Harrington's Penstemon and Harrington's beardtongue, is a species of flowering plant. P. harringtonii is narrowly endemic to northwestern and north-central Colorado in the United States. The plant blooms between June and July with blue and purple flowers. The species is named for Colorado botanist Harold Harrington.
Description
Penstemon harringtonii is a perennial flowering plant that ranges between 3 decimetres (12 in) and 7 decimetres (28 in) tall. Plants have one or a few stems stems; each are erect and glabrous, and can be purpleish on their upper portions. A typical plant will have one unbranched stem.
The plants flower between June and July. Flowers are arranged in spikes with bilateral symmetry on the top half of the stem. The flowers on P. harringtonii have distinctive lower pairs of stamen that are exserted (extend beyond the length of the flower tube). Flowers range in color across pink, blue, and purple, with the Flora of North America reporting "corolla blue to violet, lavender, or pinkish blue". The species is primarily pollinated by leafcutting bees, including at least seven species in the genus Osmia, and pollen wasps.
Taxonomy
Penstemon harringtonii was first described in 1958 by C. William T. Penland in the journal Madroño. Penland had discovered the plant in 1952 within 5 miles (8.0 km) of Green Mountain Reservoir in Grand County, Colorado, and collected a type specimen he would use to describe the species; this specimen is now held at Colorado College's herbarium. Penland reviewed other Penstemon collections and determined that two other specimens of the species had been collected in 1951: Harold Harrington had collected one in Eagle County, Colorado, on June 7, while Mark and Claire Norton had collected a plant in Routt County, Colorado, on June 29. Isotypes are found in other herbariums across the United States.
The genus Penstemon – part of the Plantaginaceae/Scrophulariaceae family – contains more than 270 species, making it the largest genus of flowering plants in North America. The genus is divided into subgenera, which are further divided into sections that are themselves sometimes divided into subsections. There are 62 species of Penstemon native to Colorado. P. harringtonii belongs to the subgenus Penstemon, section Courulei (a section with no subsections). The plant's nearest relatives are other species within the section Courulei, such as P. arenicola, P. cyathophorus, and P. secundiflorus.
Etymology
Plants in the genus Penstemon are often referred to as beardtongues for their flowers that resemble lips. Penland named the species Penstemon harringtonii for Harrington, a noted Colorado botanist. The species is also commonly known as Harrington's Penstemon and Harrington's beardtongue.
Distribution
Penstemon harringtonii is a species narrowly endemic to northwestern and north-central Colorado in the United States. Its range spans a 82 miles (132 km) by 48 miles (77 km) area on both sides of the Colorado River drainage in the Rocky Mountains. The species prefers sandy soil in the arid sagebrush steppe between elevations of 6,400 feet (2,000 m) and 9,400 feet (2,900 m). Plants can also be found in pinyon–juniper woodlands. P. harringtonii was recorded as found in Eagle, Grand, Routt, Summit counties in 1988; plants were later also found in Garfield and Pitkin counties. As of 2006, the entire population of an estimated 40,000 to 43,000 individuals was spread across 10,000 acres (40 km) of occupied habitat.
Between the collections in the 1950s and 1982, only one other occurrence location was identified. A 1982 study identified additional occurrences. William Alfred Weber and Ronald Wittmann made the sole collection of P. harringtonii at its only known occurrence in Summit County in 1982.
As of 2006, a United States Forest Service-sponsored conservation assessment on the species reported there were 74 known occurrences of P. harringtonii. The majority of individuals were found within 20 of these occurrences, with 19 of these featuring at least 500 individuals. The majority of occurrences had between 20 and 300 plants. While the 2006 estimated the total species population at between 40,000 to 43,000 plants, it considered a population between 300,000 and 500,000 individuals plausible.
It is unknown if P. harringtonii can only survive in certain geologic substrates or soils. Plants typically favor sandy, gritty material in clay loams derived from Pleistocene gravels, limestone, limey shales, and other material. The Niobrara Formation is documented as the parent material for some occurrences.
Conservation
The plant's NatureServe conservation status is G3, meaning Penstemon harringtonii is considered "vulnerable". Prior to 1996, the species was evaluated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 but not listed.
The 2006 conservation assessment determined that plant's population had been decreasing in the approximately 140 years since the region was settled and that preceding 25 years had seen a sharper decline coincident with heightened development within the plant's range. Annual population fluctuations were credited with making the analysis of long-term population trends difficult.
References
- ^ "Penstemon harringtonii". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. August 9, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
- ^ Penland, C. William T. (January 1958). "Two new species of Penstemon in Colorado". Madroño. 14 (5): 153–160. JSTOR 41422929.
- ^ Panjabi, Susan Spackman; Anderson, David G. (June 30, 2006). "Penstemon harringtonii Penland (Harrington's beardtongue): A Technical Conservation Assessment" (PDF). Species Conservation Project. Fort Collins, CO: United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Center for Plant Conservation.
- ^ "Penstemon harringtonii". wildflower.org. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- ^ Rumble, Hannah (June 10, 2024). "Curious Nature: Harrington's Penstemon is a Gem in Eagle County's Wildflower Crown". blog.walkingmountains.org. Walking Mountains Science Center. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
- ^ "Penstemon harringtonii". Flora of North America. Vol. 17. p. 119.
- ^ "Plant Profile: Harrington's Beardtongue (Penstemon harringtonii)". saveplants.org. Center for Plant Conservation. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
- "Occurence 29 June 1951". gbif.org. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
- Tjossem, Bergen (May 26, 2016). "Trust Our Land: Harrington's Penstemon – A Unique Flower That Calls Eagle County Home". Edwards, CO: Eagle Valley Land Trust. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
- O'Kane Jr., Steve L. (31 October 1988). "Colorado's Rare Flora". The Great Basin Naturalist. 48 (4): 434–484. JSTOR 41712461.
