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Home/Species/ Canaan Mountain Beardtongue

Penstemon ammophilus

N. Holmgren & L. Shultz

Canaan Mountain Beardtongue

G2Imperiled Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.149000
Element CodePDSCR1L700
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderPlantaginales
FamilyPlantaginaceae
GenusPenstemon
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
USFWS misspelled P. 'ammophilum' in Federal Register (9/93).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-02-10
Change Date1999-01-22
Edition Date2025-02-10
Edition AuthorsNiese, J. (1988), rev. B. Franklin (1996), rev. C. Nordman (2025).
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent250-1000 square km (about 100-400 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 20
Rank Reasons
Canaan Mountain Beardtongue (Penstemon ammophilus) occurs in the western United States. It is endemic to sands derived from Navajo Sandstone in the Dixie Divide region of southern Utah, and has been documented only in Garfield, Kane, and Washington Counties, Utah. Populations of Penstemon ammophilus are small, and the total population size is unknown. There is one larger occurrence along the base of the White Cliffs. Threats and trends are unknown, threats might be low overall and may include recreation impacts.
Range Extent Comments
Canaan Mountain Beardtongue (Penstemon ammophilus) occurs in the western United States. It is endemic to sands derived from Navajo Sandstone in the Dixie Divide region of southern Utah, and has been documented only in Garfield, Kane, and Washington Counties, Utah. Range extent was estimated to be 941 square kilometers, using herbarium specimens and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1994 and 2025 (Alexander 2016, Cronquist et al. 1984, Holmgren and Shultz 1982, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025, Welsh et al. 2015).
Occurrences Comments
Based on herbarium records and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025, there are about 10 occurrences of Penstemon ammophilus rangewide (NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
Threats are unknown, they might be low overall and may include recreation impacts (Alexander 2016, NatureServe 2025).
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Canaan Mountain Beardtongue (Penstemon ammophilus) is distinct from all the species of both sections with its peculiar papillose-glandular pubescence (Holmgren and Shultz 1982), the plants glutinous with the surface obscured with adhering sand grains (Welsh et al. 2015).

Habitat

Canaan Mountain Beardtongue (Penstemon ammophilus) is locally endemic to shifting sand dunes of blow sand derived from Navajo Sandstone, the long-lived clumps of plants help stabilize the sand. It occurs in ponderosa pine and mixed shrub communities, over slickrock cliffs and below the White Cliffs, at 1800 to 2200 m elevation (Alexander 2016, Welsh et al. 2015).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandWoodland - ConiferShrubland/chaparralSand/dune
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
UtahS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline—
6.1 - Recreational activitiesRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. decline—

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
Box - Death HollowDixie National Forest3,175
References (7)
  1. Alexander, J. 2016. The Utah Native Plant Society Rare Plant List: Version 2. Calochortiana. 3: 1-248.
  2. Cronquist, A., A.H. Holmgren, N.H. Holmgren, J.L. Reveal, and P.K. Holmgren. 1984. Intermountain Flora: Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. Vol. 4, Subclass Asteridae (except Asteraceae). New York Botanical Garden, Bronx. 573 pp.
  3. Holmgren, N.H., and L.M. Shultz. 1982. A new species of Penstemon (Scrophulariaceae) from southwestern Utah. Brittonia 34(4): 381-383.
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  6. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  7. Welsh, S.L., N.D. Atwood, S. Goodrich, and L.C. Higgins. (Eds). 2015. A Utah flora, fifth edition, revised 2015. Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, Provo, Utah. 987 pp.