Pine-leaved penstemon

Description

Penstemon pinifolius, the pine-leaved penstemon or pine-needle beardtongue, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae, native to the southwestern USA. Growing to 20 cm (7.9 in) tall and broad, it is a small evergreen shrub with arching stems of narrow needle-like leaves and bright scarlet tubular flowers in summer. Its natural habitats in the rocky uplands of Arizona and New Mexico are a clue to its preferences in cultivation. Though moderately hardy to −10 °C (14 °F) it requires an extremely well-drained, sunny position with some protection from hard frosts in winter. The species and the cultivar 'Wisley Flame' have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. 'Mersea Yellow' is another notable cultivar, with brilliant lemon-yellow flowers. Penstemon the beardtongues, is a large genus of roughly 250 species of flowering plants native mostly to the Nearctic, but with a few species also found in the North American portion of the Neotropics. It is the largest genus of flowering plants endemic to North America. Formerly placed in the family Scrophulariaceae by the Cronquist system, new genetic research has placed it in the vastly expanded family Plantaginaceae. Prairie-clover (Penstemon speciosus) They have opposite leaves, partly tube-shaped, and two-lipped flowers and seed capsules. The most distinctive feature of the genus is the prominent staminode, an infertile stamen. The staminode takes a variety of forms in the different species; while typically a long straight filament extending to the mouth of the corolla, some are longer and extremely hairy, giving the general appearance of an open mouth with a fuzzy tongue protruding and inspiring the common name beardtongue. Most penstemons are deciduous or semi-evergreen perennials, the remainder being shrubs or subshrubs. Heights can range from 10 cm to as much as 3 metres. The one Asiatic species previously treated in Penstemon is now placed in a separate genus Pennellianthus. This leaves Penstemon a mostly Nearctic genus, with a few neotropical species. Although widespread across North America, and found in habitats ranging from open desert to moist forests, and up to the alpine zone, they are not typically common within their range.