Penstemon rattanii var. kleei

Santa cruz mountains beardtongue, Santa Cruz Mountains Beardtongue

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Santa cruz mountains beardtongue is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in the San Francisco Bay Area in redwood and hardwood forests at elevations of 400 to 600 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces flowers with small ovate calyx lobes approximately 6 to 7 millimeters long. Growing with slender, upright stems characteristic of the beardtongue genus, it develops a compact clumping habit in its forest understory habitat. Its narrow leaves are arranged along the stems in a distinctive pattern typical of penstemon species. This rare plant is an important component of the sensitive redwood forest ecosystem in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Habitat: Redwood, hardwood forests

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 400-600 m

Bioregions: SnFrB.

California counties: Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Humboldt

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