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Home/Species/ Metcalfe's Bush-beardtongue

Penstemon metcalfei

Woot. & Standl.

Metcalfe's Bush-beardtongue

G1Critically Imperiled Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G1Critically ImperiledGlobal Rank
Very high - highThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.130209
Element CodePDSCR1L800
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. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Taxonomic Comments
Treated as synonymous with Penstemon whippleanus by Keck (1945). Todsen (1998) re-recognized Penstemon metcalfei as a distinct species. Penstemon metcalfei was not mentioned by Kartesz 1994 but is recognized by Kartesz 1999.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2016-04-19
Change Date2016-04-19
Edition Date2016-04-25
Edition AuthorsMacBryde, Bruce, rev. A. Tomaino (2016)
Threat ImpactVery high - high
Range Extent<100 square km (less than about 40 square miles)
Number of Occurrences1 - 5
Rank Reasons
Penstemon metcalfei is endemic to southwestern New Mexico (in the Black Range), having been re-recognized in 1998 as distinct from P. whippleanus. Fewer than five occurrences are extant. Threats include fire and off-road motorized travel.
Range Extent Comments
Known only from a small region of the Black Range in Sierra County, New Mexico (Roth 2016, Todsen 1998).
Occurrences Comments
In 2014, plants were found in 3 of the 5 known locations (Roth 2016).
Threat Impact Comments
Threatened by fire. The 2013 Silver Fire, resulted in radical habitat changes and increased competition from regenerating woody species (Roth 2016). May also be threatened by motorized off-road travel, parking, big game retrieval, and dispersed camping (Ybarra 2013).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Cliffs and steep, north-facing canyon slopes, in Rocky Mountain lower and upper montane coniferous forest (Todsen 1998). Presently known only from remote, roadless areas at 2000 - 2900 m (Todsen 1998).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest - ConiferCliff
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN1
ProvinceRankNative
New MexicoS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceRestricted (11-30%)Moderate - slight—
6.1 - Recreational activitiesRestricted (11-30%)Moderate - slight—
7 - Natural system modificationsPervasive - largeExtreme - serious—
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionPervasive - largeExtreme - serious—

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Plant Characteristics
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
New Mexico (2)
AreaForestAcres
Contiguous To Black & Aldo Leopold WildernessGila National Forest111,883
Sawyers PeakGila National Forest59,743
References (10)
  1. 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.
  2. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  3. Keck, D.D. 1945. Studies in <i>Penstemon </i>VIII A Cyto-taxonomic Account of the Section Spermunculus. American Midland Naturalist 33(1): 128-206.
  4. Kimball, S. and P. Wilson. 2009a. The insects that visit penstemon flowers. Bulletin of the American Penstemon Society: Spring 2009. Online. Available: https://www.csun.edu/~hcbio028/PollinatorGuide.pdf (Accessed 2013, 2025)
  5. Martin, W.C., and C.R. Hutchins. 1980-1981. A flora of New Mexico. 2 vols. J. Cramer, in der A.R. Gantner Verlag, K.G., Vaduz, Liechtenstein. 2591 pp.
  6. New Mexico Rare Plant Technical Council. 1999. New Mexico Rare Plants. Albuquerque, NM. Online. Available: http://nmrareplants.unm.edu (accessed 11 Oct 2002).
  7. Roth, D. 2016. Wildfire Impacts on Species of Concern Plants in the Gila National Forest, New Mexico. Unpublished report prepared by EMNRD-Forestry Division, Santa Fe, NM for the U.S. Fish &amp; Wildlife Service, Region 2, Albuquerque, NM. Online. Available: emnrd.state.nm.us/SFD/ForestMgt/documents/S6_WildfireImpacts_GilaNF_29.pdf
  8. Todsen, T. 1998a. New Mexico Rare Plants: <i>Penstemon metcalfei </i>(Metcalfe's penstemon). New Mexico Rare Plant Technical Council. Online. Available: http://nmrareplants.unm.edu/rarelist_single.php?SpeciesID=136 (accessed 2016). 
  9. Todsen, T.K. 1998b. <i>Penstemon metcalfei (</i>Scrophulariaceae), a valid species. Sida 18(2): 621-622.
  10. Ybarra, A. 2013. Sensitive Plant Species Report Gila National Forest Travel Management Rule Implementation. December 2013. [http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3803876.pdf]