Penstemon gormanii : Gorman Beard-tongue

Scientific Name:

Kingdom: Plantae

Division:

• Tracheophyta (vascular)
• Spermatophyta (seed bearing)
Angiospermae (enclosed seed)

Class: Dicoteldonae (two seed-leaves)

Family: Scrophulariaceae (Figwort Family)

Genera: Penstemon (Beardtongue) (Gk. pente = five + stemon = thread; referring to the 5 stamens)

Species: gormanii (named for Martin Woodlock Gorman, 1853-1926, a western American collector)

English Name(s):

Gorman Beard-tongue, Yukon Beard-tongue

First Nation Names:

Structure:

• Plants herbaceous (not woody).
• From thickened bases and a simple (unbranched) or branching taproot.
• Stems tufted, 15-40cm high, 1 to several, erect to ascending, villous-glandular in upper part.

Leaves:

• Opposite, simple (not compound).
• Lower leaves cunteate-oblanceolate to oblong in shape, entire (smooth) to irregularly serrate (toothed), petioled (stalked), glabrous (hairless).
• Upper leaves narrowly lanceolate to oblong, sessile (unstalked) or subsessile, villous-glandular.

Reproductive Parts:

• Inflorescence (flower cluster) interruped spikes composed of whorles (circles) of flowers.
• Flowers perfect (bisexual), irregular in symetry.
• Bracts simmilar to upper leaves.
• Calyx (sepals) 5-parted, 7-11mm long, lobes almost separate.
• Corolla (petals) about 2cm long, tubular, blue, pink or purplish or rarely white, 2-lipped, upper lip 2-lobed lower lip 3-lobed.
• Stamens (male parts) 5 one lacking an anther but well developed and hairy at the tip, 4 with anthers and arranged in 2 pairs.

Seed:

• Fruit is a capsule, 6-10mm long, about as long as the calyx (sepals), elliptical with a short, sharp tip, splitting open lengthwise along the partitions into the central cavity.
• Seed are numerous.

Not to Be Confused With:

Physiology:

• When the flower first open, the stigmas (female parts) lie close against the roof of the tubular corolla (petals), above the anthers (male parts), so that visiting insects come into contact with the anthers only. Later, the styles bend down bringing the stigmas (female parts) into the path to the nectar, and visiting insects, laden with pollen from younger flowers, brush against them and cause cross-pollenation.

Life Cycle:

• Perennial

Seasonal Cycle:

• Plant deciduous (dieing back) to rootstock.
• Flowers in late July and early August.

Animal Uses:

• Insects enjoy the nectar and are needed for cross-pollenation.

Habitat:

• Gravelly or sandy riverbanks and terraces and road cuts.

Modern:

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Medicinal:

Food:

Traditional Gwich'in:

Folklore:

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Traditional Other:

Folklore:

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