Search / Plant Profile / Penstemon harringtonii

Plant Profile

Harrington's Beardtongue (Penstemon harringtonii)

Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
Legal Status: N/A
Family: Plantaginaceae
State: CO
Nature Serve ID: 142762
Lifeform: Forb/herb
Date Inducted in National Collection:

Description:

Penstemon harringtonii, or Harrington's beardtongue, is a narrowly endemic perennial herb and a member of the Figwort Family. It is 30-70 cm tall; the flowers are large, purple to blue and disposed in loose spikes on the upper half of the stems, blooming in June. This plant is easily recognized by two exserted stamens. The leaves are thick, rounded, elongate, and bluish gray, and arranged opposite each other along the stem. The largest leaves are located in a basal rosette at the base of the plant (Buckner and Bunin 1992; Spackman 1997; Lyon 2001; Von Bargen 1997). William Penland of Colorado College, a Penstemon specialist, first discovered and described this species in 1952. Penstemon harringtonii was named for his colleague, Professor H.D. Harrington of Colorado State University (Panjabi and Anderson 2006). P. harringtonii is not listed as an endangered or threatened species under the Federal Endangered Species Act, although it was under review for potential listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prior to 1996 when the Category 2 and 3 statuses were dissolved. P. harringtonii is designated as a sensitive species by both the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (USFWS and BLM).

Where is Harrington's Beardtongue (Penstemon harringtonii) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Open sagebrush communities of North-Central Colorado, frequently under the sagebrush canopy or, less commonly, pinyon-juniper communities. Soils are typically rocky loams and rocky clay roams derived from coarse calcareous parent materials (Spackman 1997). Elev. 6,400-9,400 ft. (Panjabi and Anderson 2006).This species is often associated with Pascopyrum smithii (Rydb.) A. Love, Achnatherum hymenoides (Roemer & J.A. Schultes) Barkworth, Castilleja flava S. Wats., Phlox hoodii Richards., Astragalus cicer (L.), Comandra umbellata (L.) Nutt, and Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. vaseyana (Rydb.) Beetle (Buckner 1992 and Denver Botanic Gardens 2007).

Distribution:

Colorado endemic, found in Grand, Eagle, Routt, Garfield, Pitkin, and Summit Counties (Spackman 1997).

States & Provinces:

Harrington's Beardtongue can be found in Colorado

Which CPC Partners conserve Harrington's Beardtongue (Penstemon harringtonii)?

Denver Botanic Gardens

Not Sponsored

Conservation Actions

Assigned 06/09/17

CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

Conservation Actions

09/23/2020

The Denver Botanic Gardens conducted a demographic study on P. harringtonii Penland, examining the demographic trends of two populations of P. harringtonii as well as potential factors that may lead to fluctuations in the numbers of this rare endemic.

Nature Serve Biotics

05/02/2017

Colorado endemic with 73 occurrences in an area of high development pressures.

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

Threats include: - Residential and agricultural development - Off-road vehicle use - Invasive species - Overgrazing by domestic and wild ungulates - Oil and gas development - Climate change (Panjabi and Anderson 2006)

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

Known from 74 occurrences in northwestern Colorado. A total of 40,000-43,000 individuals are estimated within less than 10,000 acres of occupied habitat (CNHP 2006; Panjabi and Anderson 2006).

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

No formal plan for this species has been drafted.

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

- Species inventory (abundance and distribution) - Habitat monitoring - Understanding all aspects of the species' ecology and biology - Understanding the response of P. harringtonii to disturbance and its rates of reproduction and establishment and the effect of environmental variation. - Restoration methods of habitat or individuals of P. harringtonii.

Akiko Okawado

01/01/2010

Seed collection and storage.