Penstemon deustus
Encyclopedia
Penstemon deustus is a species of penstemon
known by the common names hotrock penstemon and scabland beardtongue. It is native to much of the northwestern United States from the Pacific Northwest
to Wyoming
, where it grows in many types of forest and open plateau habitat, often on soils heavy in volcanic rock
or on limestone
outcrops. It is a perennial herb with upright branches approaching 40 centimeters in maximum height. The thick leaves are lance-shaped to oval or round, and are sharply toothed. Most leaves occur low on the plant. The inflorescence
produces tubular flowers with lipped, five-lobed mouths. The glandular flower is cream in color with dark lining and reaches 1.5 centimeters in length.
This plant is used in wilderness revegetation
and landscaping
projects in its native region. It is favored for its low water needs and its abundant flowers which attract pollinator
s, including honey bee
s, bumblebee
s, sweat bee
s, and leafcutter bees
.
Penstemon
Penstemon , Beard-tongue, is a large genus of North American and East Asian plants traditionally placed in the Scrophulariaceae family. Due to new genetic research, it has now been placed in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae...
known by the common names hotrock penstemon and scabland beardtongue. It is native to much of the northwestern United States from the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
to Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, where it grows in many types of forest and open plateau habitat, often on soils heavy in volcanic rock
Volcanic rock
Volcanic rock is a rock formed from magma erupted from a volcano. In other words, it is an igneous rock of volcanic origin...
or on limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
outcrops. It is a perennial herb with upright branches approaching 40 centimeters in maximum height. The thick leaves are lance-shaped to oval or round, and are sharply toothed. Most leaves occur low on the plant. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
produces tubular flowers with lipped, five-lobed mouths. The glandular flower is cream in color with dark lining and reaches 1.5 centimeters in length.
This plant is used in wilderness revegetation
Revegetation
Revegetation is the process of replanting and rebuilding the soil of disturbed land. This may be a natural process produced by plant colonization and succession, or an artificial , accelerated process designed to repair damage to a landscape due to wildfire, mining, flood, or other cause...
and landscaping
Landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
projects in its native region. It is favored for its low water needs and its abundant flowers which attract pollinator
Pollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
s, including honey bee
Honey bee
Honey bees are a subset of bees in the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests out of wax. Honey bees are the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis...
s, bumblebee
Bumblebee
A bumble bee is any member of the bee genus Bombus, in the family Apidae. There are over 250 known species, existing primarily in the Northern Hemisphere although they are common in New Zealand and in the Australian state of Tasmania.Bumble bees are social insects that are characterised by black...
s, sweat bee
Sweat bee
Sweat bee is the common name for any bees that are attracted to the salt in human sweat. In its strict application, the name refers to members of the Halictidae, a large family of bees that are common in most of the world except Australia and Southeast Asia, where they are only a minor faunistic...
s, and leafcutter bees
Megachilidae
The Megachilidae are a cosmopolitan family of solitary bees whose pollen-carrying structure is restricted to the ventral surface of the abdomen...
.