Penstemon monoensis
Encyclopedia
Penstemon monoensis is a species of penstemon
known by the common name Mono penstemon. It is endemic to the White
and Inyo Mountains
of eastern California
, where it grows in scrub, woodland, and sandy washes
. It is a perennial herb growing erect to about 30 centimeters tall, gray-green in color from a dense coating of light hairs. The paired leaves are lance-shaped, sometimes toothed or wavy along the edges and up to 12 centimeters long. The glandular inflorescence
bears cylindrical or funnel-shaped flowers in shades of bright to deep pink, measuring around 2 centimeters in length. The mouth of the flower may have a white or pale area on the floor with a patch of hairs, and the staminode
is usually hairy.
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 name Mono penstemon. It is endemic to the White
White Mountains (California)
The White Mountains of California are a triangular fault block mountain range facing the Sierra Nevada across the upper Owens Valley. They extend for approximately as a greatly elevated plateau about wide on the south, narrowing to a point at the north, with elevations generally increasing...
and Inyo Mountains
Inyo Mountains
The Inyo Mountains are a short mountain range east of the Sierra Nevada mountains in eastern California in the United States. The range separates the Owens Valley to the west with Saline Valley to the east, extending for approximately 70 mi SSE from the southern end of the White Mountains,...
of eastern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where it grows in scrub, woodland, and sandy washes
Arroyo (creek)
An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...
. It is a perennial herb growing erect to about 30 centimeters tall, gray-green in color from a dense coating of light hairs. The paired leaves are lance-shaped, sometimes toothed or wavy along the edges and up to 12 centimeters long. The glandular 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...
bears cylindrical or funnel-shaped flowers in shades of bright to deep pink, measuring around 2 centimeters in length. The mouth of the flower may have a white or pale area on the floor with a patch of hairs, and the staminode
Staminode
In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen. This means that it does not produce pollen. Staminodes are frequently inconspicuous and stamen-like, usually occurring at the inner whorl of the flower, but are also sometimes long enough to protrude from the...
is usually hairy.