About Penstemon eriantherus Pursh
Penstemon eriantherus Pursh is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family, commonly called fuzzytongue penstemon and crested beardtongue. It is native to western North America, distributed across western Canada, and the northwestern and north-central United States. This species is a perennial herb that grows from a woody caudex and a thick taproot. It produces several branching stems that reach up to 40 centimeters in height. Most of the plant's leafy growth is covered in gray hairs, and its flower cluster can be glandular. Its leaves are arranged oppositely along the stems, growing up to 13 centimeters long, and sometimes have slightly toothed edges. Flowers develop within a calyx made up of narrow, pointed sepals. The corolla is up to 4 centimeters long, with a flower mouth up to 1.4 centimeters wide, and its color ranges from lavender to reddish or bluish purple. The lower lip of the corolla and the staminode are densely covered in yellowish hairs. This plant grows in dry, open areas on clay soils. In Washington state, it grows in plant communities dominated by antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) and Indian ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), purple sage (Salvia dorrii) and bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), and rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa). It can also be found growing on rocky soils in sagebrush habitats. Its ability to survive in relatively harsh habitats may help it persist in disturbed areas such as eroded trails. There are 5 recognized varieties of this species: Penstemon eriantherus var. argillosus, which is endemic to Oregon; Penstemon eriantherus var. cleburnei, or Cleburn's penstemon; Penstemon eriantherus var. eriantherus; Penstemon eriantherus var. redactus, or longsac penstemon; and Penstemon eriantherus var. whitedii, or Whited's penstemon, which is endemic to Washington.
