{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{Speciesbox |image = Penstemon_procerus_5690.JPG |status = {{TNCStatus}} |status_system = TNC |genus = Penstemon |species = procerus |authority = Dougl. ex Graham }}
'''''Penstemon procerus''''' is a species of penstemon known by the common name '''littleflower penstemon'''. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California to Colorado, as far east in Canada as Manitoba, where it grows in mountain habitat such as meadows, often in alpine climates. This herbaceous perennial forms mats of herbage with some erect stems reaching about 40 centimeters in maximum height. There are several varieties which vary in morphology, some more decumbent than others, some of which are known commonly as '''pincushion penstemons''' for their matted forms. In general, the leaves are lance-shaped to oval, plentiful around the base of the plant with smaller ones arranged in opposite pairs along the stem. The inflorescence is made up of one or more clusters of tubular flowers with lipped, lobed mouths. Each flower is no more than one centimeter in length and is purple to blue in color, often with a white throat. The outside of the flower is generally hairless, while the inside may be lined with white or yellowish hairs.
==Description== Littleflower penstemons have a wide range of heights when mature, typically {{Convert|3|to(-)|40|cm|0|sp=us}}, but occasionally as tall as {{Cvt|70|cm}}. Its stems can be hairless or be more or less covered in backwards pointing stiff hairs, but are never glaucous.{{sfn|Freeman 2020}} The flowering stems can either grow straight upwards or lean outwards from the base of the plant before growing upwards,{{sfn|Freeman 2020}} occasionally they may grow along the ground.{{sfn|Cronquist et al. 1984|p=393}} The non-flowering stems are often numerous enough for form a mat at the base of the plant.{{sfn|Cronquist et al. 1984|p=393}}
Plants can have both basal leaves, springing directly from the base of the plant, and leaves attached to the stems, but in some plants the basal leaves are not well developed. They might have a somewhat leathery texture and can have rough backwards pointing hairs, be simply hairy, or hairless. Basal leaves and the ones lowest on the stems range fro 0.9 to 9 cm long, only occasionally reaching 11.5 cm.{{sfn|Freeman 2020}}
==Taxonomy== ''Penstemon procerus'' was given its scientific name in 1829 by Robert Graham, crediting the work of David Douglas. It is part of the genus ''Penstemon'' which is classified in the family Plantaginaceae. It has six accepted varieties.{{sfn|POWO|2026a}}
* '''''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''aberrans'''''<br>Native to Utah.{{sfn|POWO|2026b}} * '''''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''brachyanthus'''''<br>Native to Oregon and northwestern California.{{sfn|POWO|2026c}} * '''''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''formosus'''''<br>Native to Oregon, California, and western Nevada.{{sfn|POWO|2026d}} * '''''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''modestus'''''<br>Native to Nevada.{{sfn|POWO|2026e}} * '''''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''procerus'''''<br>Widespread from Alaska to Colorado.{{sfn|POWO|2026f}} * '''''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''tolmiei'''''<br>Native to eastern central British Columbia and eastern Washington.{{sfn|POWO|2026g}}
''Penstemon procerus''has {{table row counter|id=Synonyms}} synonyms of the species or one of its subspecies.{{sfnm|1a1=POWO|1y=2025a|2a1=POWO|2y=2025b|3a1=POWO|3y=2025c|4a1=POWO|4y=2025d|5a1=POWO|5y=2025e|6a1=POWO|6y=2025f|7a1=POWO|7y=2025g}}
{|class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" id="Synonyms" |+ class="nowrap" | Table of Synonyms ! Name ! Year ! Rank ! Synonym of: ! Notes |- | ''Lepteiris parviflora'' {{small|Raf.}} | 1837 |data-sort-value=A | species | var. ''procerus'' |data-sort-value=B | = het. |- | ''Penstemon brachyanthus'' {{small|Pennell}} | 1941 |data-sort-value=A | species | var. ''brachyanthus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon cacuminis'' {{small|Pennell}} | 1941 |data-sort-value=A | species | var. ''formosus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon confertus'' var. ''aberrans'' {{small|M.E.Jones}} | 1895 |data-sort-value=D | variety | var. ''aberrans'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon confertus'' var. ''modestus'' {{small|(Greene) Jeps.}} | 1925 |data-sort-value=D | variety | var. ''modestus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon confertus'' var. ''procerus'' {{small|(Douglas ex Graham) Coville}} | 1893 |data-sort-value=D | variety | ''P. procerus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon formosus'' {{small|A.Nelson}} | 1904 |data-sort-value=A | species | var. ''formosus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom., nom. illeg. |- | ''Penstemon micranthus'' {{small|Nutt.}} | 1834 |data-sort-value=A | species | var. ''procerus'' |data-sort-value=B | = het. |- | ''Penstemon modestus'' {{small|Greene}} | 1906 |data-sort-value=A | species | var. ''modestus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon pononii'' {{small|T.Moore & Mast.}} | 1872 |data-sort-value=A | species | var. ''procerus'' |data-sort-value=B | = het. |- | ''Penstemon procerus'' subsp. ''aberrans'' {{small|(M.E.Jones) D.D.Keck}} | 1945 |data-sort-value=B | subspecies | var. ''aberrans'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon procerus'' f. ''albescens'' {{small|B.Boivin}} | 1966 |data-sort-value=F | form | var. ''procerus'' |data-sort-value=B | = het. |- | ''Penstemon procerus'' subsp. ''brachyanthus'' {{small|(Pennell) D.D.Keck}} | 1957 |data-sort-value=B | subspecies | var. ''brachyanthus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''fimbriatus'' {{small|Regel}} | 1872 |data-sort-value=D | variety | var. ''procerus'' |data-sort-value=B | = het. |- | ''Penstemon procerus'' subsp. ''formosus'' {{small|(D.D.Keck) D.D.Keck}} | 1957 |data-sort-value=B | subspecies | var. ''formosus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon procerus'' f. ''jenkinsii'' {{small|B.Boivin}} | 1960 |data-sort-value=F | form | var. ''procerus'' |data-sort-value=B | = het. |- | ''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''micrantus'' {{small|(Nutt.) M.E.Jones}} | 1910 |data-sort-value=D | variety | var. ''procerus'' |data-sort-value=B | = het. |- | ''Penstemon procerus'' subsp. ''modestus'' {{small|(Greene) D.D.Keck}} | 1957 |data-sort-value=B | subspecies | var. ''modestus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon procerus'' subsp. ''pulvereus'' {{small|Pennell}} | 1920 |data-sort-value=B | subspecies | var. ''procerus'' |data-sort-value=B | = het. |- | ''Penstemon procerus'' subsp. ''tolmiei'' {{small|(Hook.) D.D.Keck}} | 1957 |data-sort-value=B | subspecies | var. ''tolmiei'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon procerus'' subsp. ''typicus'' {{small|D.D.Keck}} | 1945 |data-sort-value=B | subspecies | ''P. procerus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom., not validly publ. |- | ''Penstemon pulchellus'' {{small|Greene}} | 1898 |data-sort-value=A | species | var. ''formosus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom., nom. illeg. |- | ''Penstemon spicatus'' {{small|T.Moore & Mast.}} | 1872 |data-sort-value=A | species | var. ''procerus'' |data-sort-value=B | = het. |- | ''Penstemon tinctus'' {{small|Pennell}} | 1941 |data-sort-value=A | species | var. ''procerus'' |data-sort-value=B | = het. |- | ''Penstemon tolmiei'' {{small|Hook.}} | 1838 |data-sort-value=A | species | var. ''tolmiei'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon tolmiei'' subsp. ''brachyanthus'' {{small|(Pennell) D.D.Keck}} | 1945 |data-sort-value=B | subspecies | var. ''brachyanthus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon tolmiei'' subsp. ''formosus'' {{small|D.D.Keck}} | 1945 |data-sort-value=B | subspecies | var. ''formosus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon tolmiei'' subsp. ''modestus'' {{small|(Greene) D.D.Keck}} | 1945 |data-sort-value=B | subspecies | var. ''modestus'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom. |- | ''Penstemon tolmiei'' subsp. ''typicus'' {{small|D.D.Keck}} | 1945 |data-sort-value=B | subspecies | var. ''tolmiei'' |data-sort-value=A | ≡ hom., not validly publ. |- !colspan=5 style="text-align: left;" | Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym |}
==Names== The specific epithet, ''procerus'', is Botanical Latin meaning "tall",{{sfn|Ferguson|Saunders|1996|p=109}} however the alpine forms of the species are quite short.{{sfn|Duft|Moseley|1989|p=92}} It is frequently called by the common names ''littleflower penstemon'' or ''little flower penstemon''.{{sfn|Lindgren & Wilde 2003|p=74}}{{sfn|Lyons|1977|p=173}} It is similarly known as the ''small-flowered penstemon'',{{sfn|Trelawny|1983|p=147}} ''small-flowered beardtongue'',{{sfn|Jennings|2011|p=84}} and ''little blue penstemon''.{{sfn|Ferguson|Saunders|1996|p=109}} It is also known as ''tall penstemon'',{{sfn|Blackwell|2000|p=135}} ''pincushion penstemon'',{{sfn|Niehaus|1976|p=336}} and ''slender blue penstemon''.{{sfn|Sept|2002|p=68}}
==Cultivation== In cultivation in the UK the cultivar 'Roy Davidson' has won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/120167/Penstemon-procerus-Roy-Davidson/Details | title = ''Penstemon procerus'' 'Roy Davidson' | website = www.rhs.org | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | access-date = 24 January 2021}}</ref> It copes with a range of situations, but requires a well-drained medium in full or partial sun.
==References== ===Citations=== {{Reflist}}
===Sources=== ;Books {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite book |last1=Blackwell |first1=Laird R. |date=2000 |title=Wildflowers of Mount Rainer |url=https://archive.org/details/wildflowersofmou0000blac |url-access=registration |location=Edmonton, Alberta |publisher=Lone Pine Publishing |isbn=978-1-55105-230-4 |oclc=43282920 |access-date=15 January 2026}} * {{Cite book |last1=Duft |first1=Joseph F. |last2=Moseley |first2=Robert K. |date=1989 |title=Alpine Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains |url=https://archive.org/details/alpinewildflower0000duft |url-access=registration |language=en |location=Missoula, Montana |publisher=Mountain Press |isbn=978-0-87842-238-8 |oclc=19325552 |access-date=15 January 2026}} * {{Cite book |last1=Cronquist |first1=Arthur |author-link1=Arthur Cronquist |last2=Holmgren |first2=Arthur H. |last3=Holmgren |first3=Noel H. |last4=Reveal |first4=James L. |author-link4=James L. Reveal |last5=Holmgren |first5=Patricia K. |author-link5=Patricia Kern Holmgren |date=1984 |title=Intermountain Flora : Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. |url=https://archive.org/details/intermountainflo0000unse |url-access=registration |language=en |volume=Four. Subclass Asteridae (except Asteraceae) |location=New York |publisher=Published for the New York Botanical Garden by Hafner Pub. Co. |isbn=978-0-89327-248-7 |oclc=320442 |access-date=30 January 2026 |ref={{sfnref|Cronquist et al. 1984}}}} * {{Cite book |last1=Ferguson |first1=Mary |last2=Saunders |first2=Richard M. |date=1996 |orig-date=First ed. 1982 |title=Wildflowers Through the Seasons |url=https://archive.org/details/wildflowersthrou0000ferg |url-access=registration |edition=Firefly |location=Willowdale, Ontario |publisher=Firefly Books |isbn=978-1-55209-025-1 |oclc=35209664 |access-date=14 January 2026}} * {{Cite book |last1=Jennings |first1=Neil L. |date=2011 |title=Central Beauty: Wildflowers and Flowering Shrubs of the Southern Interior of British Columbia |url=https://archive.org/details/centralbeautywil0000jenn |url-access=registration |location=Surrey, British Columbia |publisher=Rocky Mountain Books |isbn=978-1-926855-44-8 |oclc=1043650035 |access-date=14 January 2026}} * {{Cite book |last1=Lindgren |first1=Dale Tennis |last2=Wilde |first2=Ellen |last3=American Penstemon Society |date=2003 |title=Growing Penstemons : Species, Cultivars, and Hybrids |url=https://archive.org/details/growingpenstemon0000lind |url-access=registration |language=en |edition=First |location=Haverford, Pennsylvania |publisher=Infinity Publishing |isbn=978-0-7414-1529-5 |lccn=2004272722 |oclc=54110971 |access-date=14 January 2026 |ref={{sfnref|Lindgren & Wilde 2003}}}} * {{Cite book |last1=Lyons |first1=C. P. |author-link1=C. P. Lyons |date=1977 |title=Trees, shrubs and flowers to know in Washington |url=https://archive.org/details/treesshrubsflowe00cply |url-access=registration |edition=Second Paperback |location=Toronto, Canada |publisher=J.M. Dent & Sons |isbn=978-0-460-95303-0 |oclc=48635689 |access-date=14 January 2026}} * {{Cite book |last1=Niehaus |first1=Theodore F. |date=1976 |title=A field guide to Pacific States wildflowers: field marks of species found in Washington, Oregon, California, and adjacent areas: a visual approach arranged by color, form, and detail |url=https://archive.org/details/fieldguidetopaci00theo_0 |url-access=registration |location=Boston, Massachusetts |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-395-21624-8 |oclc=2119340 |access-date=15 January 2026}} * {{Cite book |last1=Sept |first1=J. Duane |date=2002 |title=Common Wildflowers of Washington & Oregon |url=https://archive.org/details/commonwildflower0000sept |url-access=registration |location=Sechelt, British Columbia |publisher=Calypso Publishing |isbn=978-0-9730390-1-6 |oclc=49649317 |access-date=15 January 2026}} * {{Cite book |last1=Trelawny |first1=John G. S. |date=1983 |title=Wildflowers of the Yukon and Northwestern Canada, Including Adjacent Alaska |url=https://archive.org/details/wildflowersofyuk0000trel |url-access=registration |location=Victoria, British Columbia |publisher=Sono Nis Press |isbn=978-0-88826-097-0 |oclc=5036602 |access-date=15 January 2026}} {{Refend}}
;Web sources {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite web <!--Deny Citation Bot-->|last1=Freeman |first1=Craig C. |date=2020 |orig-date=In print 2019 |url=http://floranorthamerica.org/Penstemon_procerus |title=''Penstemon procerus'' |website=Flora of North America |page=216 |language=en |isbn=978-0-19-086851-2 |oclc=1101573420 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251005191429/https://floranorthamerica.org/Penstemon_procerus |archive-date=5 October 2025 |access-date=30 January 2026 |ref={{sfnref|Freeman 2020}}}} * {{Cite POWO |last1=POWO |date=2026a |id=808248-1 |title=''Penstemon procerus'' Douglas ex Graham |access-date=14 January 2026}} * {{Cite POWO |last1=POWO |date=2026b |id=187676-2 |title=''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''aberrans'' (M.E.Jones) A.Nelson |access-date=14 January 2026}} * {{Cite POWO |last1=POWO |date=2026c |id=187678-2 |title=''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''brachyanthus'' (Pennell) Cronquist |access-date=14 January 2026}} * {{Cite POWO |last1=POWO |date=2026d |id=187681-2 |title=''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''formosus'' (D.D.Keck) Cronquist |access-date=14 January 2026}} * {{Cite POWO |last1=POWO |date=2026e |id=187685-2 |title=''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''modestus'' (Greene) N.H.Holmgren |access-date=14 January 2026}} * {{Cite POWO |last1=POWO |date=2026f |id=77226199-1 |title=''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''procerus'' |access-date=14 January 2026}} * {{Cite POWO |last1=POWO |date=2026g |id=187691-2 |title=''Penstemon procerus'' var. ''tolmiei'' (Hook.) Cronquist |access-date=14 January 2026}} {{Refend}} ==External links== *[http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?7177,7483,7546 Jepson Manual Treatment] *[http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-taxon=Penstemon+procerus Photo gallery]
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procerus Category:Flora of Idaho Category:Flora without expected TNC conservation status