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| 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, also known as Harrington's Penstemon and Harrington's beardtongue, is a species of flowering plant. P. harringtonii is endemic to northwestern Colorado in the United States. 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. It is glabrous and possesses one or a few erect stems that can be purpleish on their upper portions.
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 specimen he would use to describe the species.
Part of the Scrophulariaceae family, the genus Penstemon is divided into subgenera, which are further divided into sections that are themselves sometimes divided into subsections. 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 Penstemon arenicola, Penstemon cyathophorus, and Penstemon secundiflorus.
Etymology
Penland named the species for Harold Harrington, a noted Colorado botanist.
Distribution
Penstemon harringtonii is a species endemic to northwestern 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. The species prefers the arid sagebrush steppe between elevations of 6,400 feet (2,000 m) and 9,400 feet (2,900 m). P. harringtonii is found in Eagle, Grand, Routt, and Summit counties. As of 2006, the entire population of an estimated 43,000 plants was spread across 10,000 acres (40 km) of occupied habitat.
Conservation
The plant's NatureServe conservation status as G3, meaning the species is considered "vulnerable".
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.
- O'Kane Jr., Steve L. (31 October 1988). "Colorado's Rare Flora". The Great Basin Naturalist. 48 (4): 434–484. JSTOR 41712461.
