Penstemon thompsoniae
| Penstemon thompsoniae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| ssp. jaegeri | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Penstemon |
| Species: | P. thompsoniae |
| Binomial name | |
| Penstemon thompsoniae (A.Gray) Rydb. | |
Penstemon thompsoniae is a species of penstemon known by the common name Thompson's beardtongue. It is native to the southwestern United States where it grows in woodlands and other desert and plateau habitat, to the subalpine climate of local mountains. It is a mat-forming perennial herb, ashy gray-green with a thick coating of hairs, growing no more than 15 centimeters tall from a woody base. The oval or spoon-shaped leaves are up to 2 centimeters long. The short inflorescence bears wide-mouthed tubular purple flowers up to 2 centimeters in length. They are glandular on the outer surface and somewhat hairy on the inner, the staminode coated in long orange hairs.
Of the two subspecies of this plant, only ssp. thompsoniae occurs throughout the species' range. Jaeger's beardtongue, ssp. jaegeri, is endemic to southern Nevada.[1]