Pentstemon

Plant Characteristics

Origin:	✈	?

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	?"?" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property.
Water:	◍	?"?" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property.

Scientific Names

Read about Pentstemon in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Pentstemon (Greek for five stamens, all five stamens being present, whereas related genera have only four; but in Pentstemon one of the stamens is sterile). Sometimes written Pentstemon. Scrophu- lariaceae. Pentstemon. Beard-tongue. Tubular- flowered bedding and border plants, mostly of bright colors; many are natives in the United States. Perennial herbs or shrubs of medium or small size, spring- and summer-blooming, glabrous or pubescent, the sts. mostly little branched: lvs. opposite or whorled,entire or toothed (the upper ones sometimes alternate): fls. in terminal racemes or thyrsoid clusters, mostly showy, blue, red, purple, white; calyx 5-parted, with imbricated segms.: corolla tubular, usually dilated at the throat, distinctly or obscurely 2-lipped, the upper lip 2-lobed or notched and the lower 3-lobed; fertile stamens 4, didynamous the fifth sterile and sometimes bearded, all of them included or not exserted; style filiform and stigma capitate: fr. an ovoid, globose or oblong dehiscent caps., with numerous seeds. Pentstemon is a typical American genus. One species is native to N. E. Asia and many to the cooler parts of Mex., but the larger number of the species inhabit the U. S. and Canada, particularly the western parts. Krautter admits 148 species in his monograph in 1908 (Contr. Bot. Lab., Univ. of Pa. III). They are all herbs, although some species are somewhat woody at the base. It is difficult so to arrange the species of Pentstemon as to make them easy of determination by the horticulturist. Gray's account in the Synoptical Flora (Vol. 2, Part 1) describes the American species north of Mex.; and this account has been followed here in the main. The arrangement of species, however, has been modified considerably to admit the Mexican species and to make the group easier for the beginner. Later writers are inclined to raise the Grayan varieties to the rank of species. For the hardy border, pentstemons are most satisfactory plants, and the great number of showy species allows much latitude in choice of color and habit. All are perennial, but some of them bloom the first year from seed. In a dry and hot place they are likely to be short-lived, although nearly all the species thrive best in full exposure to sun. They should have good deep garden soil. They are propagated by division and by seed, the latter usually being preferred. Many of the species are not hardy in the northern states, but P. barbatus and its varieties, P. hirsutus, P. laevigatus and variety, P. confertus and variety, P. diffusus, P. ovatus, P. grandiflorus, P. acuminatus, P. angustifolius, P. glaber and varieties, and also others, may be expected to stand in the North, particularly if given a protection of leaves. An excellent garden race has been produced, here designated as P. gloxinioides. This seems to be a product of hybridization and selection. It is little known in American gardens, although it is a handsome and deserving plant. Some of the forms of it are treated as annuals. Most of the species described in this account are not domesticated or modified plants, but are sold or distributed as stock secured more or less directly from the wild. INDEX. acuminatus, 21. Douglasii, 1. Murrayanus,20 alpinus, 15. Eatonii, 9. Newberryi, 1. angustifolius,22,26. erianthera, 36. nitidus, 21. antirrhinoides, 5. Fendleri, 21. ovatus, 37. argutus, 41. fruticosus, 1. Palmeri, 31. arizonicus, 16. gentianoides, 12. procerus, 24. atropurpureus, 26. glaber, 15. pubescens, 38. azureus, 46. gland ulosus, 39. pulchellus, 26. barbatus, 7, 8. gloxinioides, 13. puniceus, 17. Bridgesii, 48. Gordonii, 15. Richardsonii, 42. caeruleo-purpureus, 24. gracilentus, 43. Robinsonii, 1. caeruleus, 22. gracilis, 28. Roeslii, 45. campanulatus, 26. grandiflorus, 19. roseus, 26. centranthifolius, 14. Hartwegii, 12. rotundifolius, 25. Clevelandii. 32. heterophyllus, 47. Scouleri, 1. Cobaea, 35. hirsutus, 38. secundiflorus, 23. coccineus, 7. humilis, 27. Smallii, 30. confertus, 24. . isophyllua, 10. speciosus, 15. cordifolus, 3 Jaffrayanus, 46. spectabilis, 34. crassifolius,1. Jabrosus, 8. staticifolius, 39. cristatus, 36. laetus, 44. ternatus, 4. cyananthus, 15. laevigatus, 30. Torreyi, 7. cyanthus, 15. Lemmonii, 6. triflorus, 11. Davidsonii, 2. Lobbii. 5. tubiflorus, 29. deustus, 33. Mackayanus, 38. venustus, 40. diffusus, 41. Mensiesii, 1. Wrightii, 18. Digitalis, 30. miniatus, 9. As the pentstemons are mostly attractive plants, any number of them may appear in the lists of distributors of native plants. P. baccharifolius. Hook. Glabrous or only obscurely puberulent, leafy at base, 2 ft.: lvs. oblong, sharp-toothed, sessile: fls. deep carmine- red, on 1-3-fld. peduncles; corolla 1 in. long, broadly tubular, with short 2-lipped limb; sterile filament naked. Texas. J.F. 3:227.—P. pygmaeus is a name listed abroad: "very compact-growing; pale purple and white fls."—P. virgatus, Gray. Glabrous or slightly glandular, the st. strict and long: lvs. linear-lanceolate: fls. lilac with purple veins, in a virgatc thyrse; corolla 3/4 in. long, with a wide throat and distinctly 2-lipped. New Mex., Ariz. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

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