Penstemon clevelandii var. mohavensis

Mohave beard's tongue

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Mohave beard's tongue is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in southern desert mountains, specifically the Little San Bernardino and Granite Mountains, in rocky hillsides, rock crevices, creosote-bush scrub, juniper and pinyon woodland, and chaparral at elevations of 400 to 1,500 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces lavender to purple flowers with distinctive spreading anther sacs. Growing with erect stems up to 50 centimeters tall, it forms dense clusters of sharply toothed leaves. Its cauline leaves have widely wedge-shaped bases and serrate edges, with distal leaf bases remaining free from each other. The staminode is notably covered in dense hairs, giving the flower a distinctive textured appearance.

Habitat: Rocky hillsides, rock crevices in creosote-bush scrub, juniper/pinyon woodland, chaparral

Bloom period: Mar-May

Elevation: 400-1500 m

Bioregions: s DMtns (Little San Bernardino, Granite mtns).

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.