Penstemon cobaea

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Lamiales

Familia: Plantaginaceae
Tribus: Cheloneae
Genus: Penstemon
Subgenus: P. subg. Penstemon
Section: P. sect. Cristati

Species: Penstemon cobaea
Subspecies: P. c. subsp. purpureus
Name

Penstemon cobaea Nutt.
References

Nuttall, T. 1835. Collections towards a Flora of the Territory of Arkansas. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, new series 5: 139–203. BHL Reference page.

Links

International Plant Names Index. 2017. Penstemon cobaea. Published online. Accessed: Oct. 30 2017.
The Plant List 2013. Penstemon cobaea in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2017 Oct. 30.
Tropicos.org 2017. Penstemon cobaea. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 30 Oct. 2017.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Penstemon cobaea in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Vernacular names
English: cobaea beardtongue, Cobaea penstemon

Penstemon cobaea is a flowering plant in the plantain family, commonly known as cobaea beardtongue,[2] prairie beardtongue or foxglove penstemon. The plant is native to the central United States, primarily the Great Plains from Nebraska to Texas, with additional populations in the Ozarks of Missouri and Arkansas. There are also populations reported in the southwestern United States as well as in Illinois and Ohio, but these appear to be introductions.[3][4]

Habitat

Penstemon cobaea grows on hillsides, gravel, rocky outcrops, and gypsum soils, and eroded pastures.[5]
Description
Foxglove penstemon (Penstemon cobaea) on ranchland in the Texas Blackland Prairie eco-region. County Road 269, Lavaca County, Texas, USA (19 April 2014).

Penstemon cobaea is usually about 30 cm (1 foot) tall, but occasionally reaches as much as 1.23 m (4 ft).[6] The flowers are 5–7.5 cm (2–3 in) long[6] and have five lobes, with two large lobes on top and three small lobes on the bottom. The flowers have a structure reminiscent of a ribcage inside, and can be white or pink with magenta lines. The leaves of the plant are broad, at about 3.8–15 cm (1+1⁄2–5+7⁄8 in) long and 0.6–5 cm (1⁄4–2 in) wide.[5][7]
Cultivation

The flowers of Penstemon cobaea will eventually become brown and black capsules, which contain the seeds. After planting, the seeds will take about two years to flower. It is good to leave 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) between plants when gardening, and lime is often needed in the soil.[5]
References

"Penstemon cobaea Nutt.". Tropicos. Missouri Botanical Garden.
"Penstemon cobaea". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
"Penstemon cobaea". Native Plant Database. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
"Penstemon cobaea". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
Haddock, Mike (2018). "Cobaea penstemon". Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses.
Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 52. ISBN 0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
Nuttall, Thomas 1836. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, new series 5(6[3]): 182 parallel descriptions in English + Latin, as Pentstemon Cobaea