Penstemon sepalulus
An endemic Utah perennial subshrub with glabrous stems about 40–90 cm tall, bearing lavender to violet bilabiate flowers on rocky slopes in the Wasatch Mountains, flowering June–August.
Common Names
Littlecup Penstemon, Little-Cup Beardtongue, Tinípong Bángsà
Summary
Little-cup beardtongue is endemic to Utah and is a perennial subshrub/herb with ascending to erect stems up to 40–90 cm tall and opposite, sessile elliptic leaves. It features cylindrical, interrupted inflorescences with 8–14 verticillasters of lavender to violet flowers; the corolla measures 22–28 mm (tube 7–9 mm; throat 7–9 mm), with a 15–16 mm staminode and 16–20 mm style, and a capsule 7–10 × 4.5–5.5 mm; blooming occurs June to August.
Distribution centers in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains at 1200–2300 m, where it grows in rocky to gravelly and talus slopes and in Gambel oak, maple, and aspen woodlands; as a rare endemic, its habitat is relatively restricted.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1.5-3 feet
Soil Type
Rocky to gravelly soils (talus slopes)
Soil Drainage
Well-drained
Bloom Color
Light lavender to violet or purple
Bloom Time
Summer
Foliage Color
Glaucous
Seasons of Interest
Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, Attracts hummingbirds, Attracts butterflies, Attracts other pollinators
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- A.Nelson
- Publication
- Man. Bot. Rocky Mt. , ed. 2: 449 (1909)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Lamiales
- Family
- Plantaginaceae
- Genus
- Penstemon