The colors below indicate the kind of documentation available for this species
in the California counties where it occurs.
Newberry's Beardtongue Penstemon newberryi var. newberryi (Scrophulariaceae)
Newberry's Beardtongue is commonly found on rocky ledges and gravelly slopes in the mountains of northern and central California, Oregon, and Nevada. It produces woody stems that creep along the ground to form a low mat. In rocky habitats, intense sunlight creates a warmer environment on the ground than exists within a few inches overhead. Hence a mat-forming plant takes advantage of this microclimate and also avoids the effects of gusty winds. During mid-summer ascending branches are covered with small dense clusters of rose-red somewhat woolly flowers. The narrow corolla, which is adapted for hummingbird pollination, is just over an inch long and only slightly dilated at the throat.
DISTRIBUTION: Outcrops and talus from NW Calif. to the Cascade Ranges, high Sierra Nevada and N Tehachapi Mts.; 700-3500 m.
