Penstemon strictus  Benth.

by Lara Dickson, Native Plants Class, Fall 2005
Common Names:  Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Porch Penstemon (1,2,3,4)
Family:  Scrophulariaceae
Synonymy:  
Etymology:  The genus name originates from the fact that one of the five (pent) stamens is sterile and visually distinctive from the others (3).  An alternate derivation is Latin paene = “almost” and stemon = “thread”, again referring to the sterile fifth stamen (4).  The epithet "strictus" means upright (4,8).

Identification
Growth form:  herbaceous perennial (6,7)
Stem:  30-70 cm tall, erect (6,7,9)
Leaves:  dark green leaves;  opposite;  basal leaves linear to lance-shaped, 5-10 cm long, 2-16 mm wide, basal rosette to 75 cm wide, loose;  leaves on stem 4-10 cm long, 2-7 mm wide, linear, often folded, sessile, rather widely spaced (2,4,5,6,7,9)
Inflorescence/flowers:  purple to violet blue, tubular;  overhanging upper corolla lobes project forward like roof of a porch, lower lobes slope downward;  flowers to 2.5 cm long, along one side of the stem;  stamen heads with white, twisted hairs;  (2,5,6,7,9)
Fruit:  capsule 8-13 mm long (6)
Similar species:  This species can be distinguished by its purple to violet blue flowers, narrow leaves, and anther sacs that have small number of long white hairs easily seen with the naked eye.

Ecology
Life history:  Short lived perennial;  can live 6-7 years with deadheading (4).  Easily grown from seed (5,9).  Seeds do not require a period of cold stratification to germinate (5).
Native/Introduced:  Native (1,2,5)
Photosynthetic pathway:  C3
Phenology:  Blooms June to July (2,4)
Distribution:  Southern Wyoming to Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona at elevations if 1800 to 3000 m.  Native in many habitats from pinyon pine to spruce-fir communities.  Naturalized along roadsides and disturbed areas (5).  Often seeded by state highway departments and rock-strewn roadworks have been colonized to extend natural distribution (2,5,9).

Uses
Attractive to butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees (5).  Some Native American tribes used it for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases-used both internally and externally (4).  Used as cut flowers (9).

References

1.  USDA, NRCS. 2005. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 ( http://plants.usda.gov). Data compiled from various sources by Mark W. Skinner. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

2.  Epple, A.O.  1995.  A Field Guide to the Plants of Arizona.  Falcon Publishing, Helena, Montana.

3.  Schneider, A. Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, Ferns, & Trees.  Last updated 15 November 2005. Accessed 15 November 2005.  (http://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com)

4.  Nold, R.  1999.  Penstemons. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.

5.  Busco, J. and Morin, N.R.  2003.  Native Plants for High Elevation Western Gardens.  Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado.

6.  Cronquist, A., Holmgren, A.H., Holmgren, N.H., Reveal, J.L. and Holmgren, P.K., 1977. Intermountain Flora, Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A., Volume 4, p 443 Columbia University Press, New York.

7.  Welsh, S.L.., Atwood, N.D., Goodrich, S, and Higgins, L.C.  1993.   A Utah Flora.  Brigham Young University Press, Provo, Utah.

8.  Californa Plant Names, Latin and Greek Meanings and Derivations (http://calflora.net/botanicalnames/index/html).  Compiled by Michael L. Charters.  Accessed November 2005.

9.  Way, D. and James, P.  1998.  The Gardener's Guide to Growing Penstemons. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon.