Penstemon barbatus
Encyclopedia
Penstemon barbatus, known by the common name
s Golden-beard penstemon, Beardlip penstemon, and Scarlet bugler, is a flowering plant
native to the western United States
. In Spanish
-speaking New Mexico and southern Colorado, it is called varita de San Jose -- "St. Joseph's staff."
The plant has spikes of clustered, tubular, scarlet blossoms with yellow hairs on their lower lip; the flower
s are very attractive to hummingbird
s. It is commonly grown in Xeriscape and conventional gardens, and several cultivar
s of different colors have been developed.
The late-summer flowering of Penstemon barbatus coincides with the southern migration of the Rufous hummingbird
, and the hummingbirds use the Scarlet buglers as "filling stations" for their long trip south.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s Golden-beard penstemon, Beardlip penstemon, and Scarlet bugler, is a flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
native to the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-speaking New Mexico and southern Colorado, it is called varita de San Jose -- "St. Joseph's staff."
The plant has spikes of clustered, tubular, scarlet blossoms with yellow hairs on their lower lip; the flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are very attractive to hummingbird
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
s. It is commonly grown in Xeriscape and conventional gardens, and several cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s of different colors have been developed.
The late-summer flowering of Penstemon barbatus coincides with the southern migration of the Rufous hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
The Rufous Hummingbird is a small hummingbird, about 8 cm long with a long, straight and very slender bill. The female is slightly larger than the male.-Description:...
, and the hummingbirds use the Scarlet buglers as "filling stations" for their long trip south.
External links
- Penstemon barbatus at Northern Arizona UniversityNorthern Arizona UniversityNorthern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of...
- Penstemon barbatus at USDA Plant Profiles