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Home/Species/ Antelope Valley Beardtongue

Penstemon janishiae

N. Holmgren

Antelope Valley Beardtongue

G4Apparently Secure Found in 5 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.135084
Element CodePDSCR1L3A0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderPlantaginales
FamilyPlantaginaceae
GenusPenstemon
Other Common Names
Antelope Valley beardtongue (EN)
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.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-03-18
Change Date1989-04-18
Edition Date2025-03-18
Edition AuthorsGRIES, D, rev. N. Ventrella (2025)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Penstemon janishiae is a perennial forb occurring in clay soils in sagebrush and conifer woodlands of the Great Basin region of the western United States from California to Oregon, Nevada, and Idaho. There are an estimated 79 occurrences of this species, which are threatened by urban development, rights-of-way construction, wind energy development, invasive species, off-road vehicles, recreation, and climate change. Little is known about trends, and monitoring populations is important to improving our understanding of the status of Penstemon janishiae.
Range Extent Comments
Penstemon janishiae occurs in the western United States, where it is found largely in the Great Basin physiographic region (FNA 2019). Specifically, from very northeastern California in the Modoc Plateau region (Hickman 1993) and southern southeastern Oregon, to central and northeastern Nevada (Washoe, Elko, Humboldt, Nye, Lander, Eureka, and White Pine counties), and north to southwestern Idaho, in Owyhee County (FNA 2019). Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1994 and 2025 (RARECAT 2024, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are 79 occurrences rangewide (RARECAT 2024, GBIF 2025, iNaturalist 2025, NatureServe 2025, SEINet 2025).
Threat Impact Comments
In California, Penstemon janishiae is primarily threatened by urban development and right-of-way construction (CNPS 2025). Three occurrences were located near a proposed utility corridor, one occurrence was in a staging area for a road construction project, and a third occurrence was presumably extirpated by a housing development project (Wiebush 2022). Invasive species such as Bromus tectorum and Salvia aethiopis also pose a threat to populations. Potential threats to Penstemon janishiae also include wind energy development, off-road vehicles, climate change, and recreational activities (Wiebush 2022, CNPS 2025).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Penstemon janishiae occurs on "igneous clayey soils, sagebrush shrublands, [and] juniper and pine-juniper woodlands" (FNA 2019).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandWoodland - ConiferShrubland/chaparral
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaS1Yes
OregonSNRYes
IdahoS2Yes
NevadaS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
1.1 - Housing & urban areasUnknownUnknownUnknown
3 - Energy production & miningUnknownUnknownUnknown
3.3 - Renewable energyUnknownUnknownUnknown
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownUnknownUnknown
4.1 - Roads & railroadsUnknownUnknownUnknown
4.2 - Utility & service linesUnknownUnknownUnknown
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceUnknownUnknownUnknown
6.1 - Recreational activitiesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
11 - Climate change & severe weatherUnknownUnknownUnknown
11.2 - DroughtsUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (5)
Montana (1)
AreaForestAcres
West Big HoleBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest133,563
Nevada (4)
AreaForestAcres
Butler Mtn.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest25,878
Pearl PeakHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest71,405
Ruby - SouthHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest13,195
Spanish PeakHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest31,520
References (12)
  1. California Native Plant Society (CNPS), Rare Plant Program. 2025. Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California, online edition, v9.5. Online. Available: https://www.rareplants.cnps.org (accessed 2025).
  2. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2019. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 17: Magnoliophyta: Tetrachondraceae to Orobanchaceae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiv + 737 pp.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  4. Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 1400 pp.
  5. Idaho Native Plant Society. 1993. Federal candidate (C1 and C2) and listed rare plants of Idaho. unpaginated.
  6. iNaturalist. 2025. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2025).
  7. Kartesz, J.T. 1988. A flora of Nevada. Ph.D. dissertation. Univ. of Nevada, Reno. 3 volumes. 1729 pp.
  8. 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.
  9. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  10. NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2024. Version: 1.1.1 (released Oct 01, 2024).
  11. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  12. Wiebush, M. S. 2022. Species Account: <i>Penstemon janishiae</i>. California Native Plant Society. 8 April 2022.