The colors below indicate the kind of documentation available for this species
in the California counties where it occurs.
Beardtongue Penstemon heterodoxus var. heterodoxus (Scrophulariaceae)
With some 250 species, Penstemon is the largest genus in the Snapdragon family and the largest genus of flowering plants restricted to North America. The common name Beardtongue alludes to the presence of a sterile stamen ("tongue") in addition to the four fertile stamens. In many, but not all, species of Penstemon the tongue is adorned with a conspicuous tuft or beard of hairs. This species is a mat-forming perennial with leaves that are sometimes folded lengthwise. In its high elevation habitat, P. heterodoxus seems to prefer drier meadow margins and scree slopes. It is readily distinguished from Meadow Penstemon (P. rydbergii) which is common in damp meadows, by sticky gland-tipped hairs on the flowers.
DISTRIBUTION: Montane and subalpine slopes, meadows, and scree from the Klamath Ranges, Sierra Nevada, and White and Inyo Mts. of the Great Basin Province; 1100-3900 m.
