Penstemon penlandii
W.A. Weber
Kremmling Beardtongue
G1Critically ImperiledGlobal Rank
Very high - highThreat Impact
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.139970
Element CodePDSCR1L780
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderPlantaginales
FamilyPlantaginaceae
GenusPenstemon
Other Common Names
Penland 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 Date2022-08-26
Change Date1986-10-23
Edition Date2022-08-26
Edition AuthorsS. Spackman, rev. Maybury/Spackman (1996), rev. S. Spackman and D. Anderson (2000), rev. G. Doyle, J. Handwerk, and S. Panjabi (2006); rev. J. Handwerk (2009, 2012, 2022)
Threat ImpactVery high - high
Range Extent<100 square km (less than about 40 square miles)
Number of Occurrences1 - 5
Rank Reasons
Penstemon penlandii is known from two occurrences within a very narrow range (about 12 square kilometers) in north-central Colorado, USA. Threats to Penstemon penlandii include motorized recreation, powerline maintenance and repair, climate change, competition with invasive plant species and damage or disturbance from road maintenance.
Range Extent Comments
Penstemon penlandii is a narrow endemic known from Grand County, Colorado, USA. The estimated range extent in Colorado of 12 square kilometers was calculated in GeoCAT using occurrence data provided by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (2022).
Occurrences Comments
As of 2022 there are 2 known occurrences documented in the Colorado Natural Heritage Program database. Both occurrences have been observed within the last 20 years.
Threat Impact Comments
Threats to Penstemon penlandii arise from several factors including motorized recreation, powerline maintenance and repair, climate change, competition with invasive plant species and damage or disturbance from road maintenance. Several dirt roads and two-track roads bisect the species habitat and both on and off-road motorized recreation has been documented within the occurrences (CNHP 2022). The steep topography and nature of the soils make this species' habitat vulnerable to destruction by off-road vehicles. Road widening and weed control are threats to the plants in some areas, and Russian thistle has been documented in portions of one occurrence (CNHP 2022). An electric transmission line runs through the main occurrence and maintenance and repair of the line could directly impact the species. Prolonged drought and habitat alteration due to climate change within the species range are also threats to Penstemon penlandii (Handwerk et al. 2015). Consecutive years of hotter and drier than average conditions, as observed from 2017-2021, have been visually correlated with decreasing Penstemon penlandii rosette density and had a pronounced effect on driving the decreasing population trends over the same duration (Krening 2021). Additionally, the Colorado Natural Heritage Program considers all Penstemon species at risk of collectors targeting populations for use in gardens.
Ecology & Habitat
Description
Compact herbceous perennials up to 25 cm tall and 20 cm wide. Stems are clumped and pubescent. Leaves are linear, 1-2 mm side, involute or folded. Flowers are about 2 cm long, and are bicolored with blue lobes and violet throats. Anthers have short hairs, and the staminode is bearded (Spackman et al. 1997).
Habitat
Strongly seleniferous clay-shales of the Troublesome Formation; on steep barrens with sparse plant cover, sagebrush badlands. Associated taxa: Artemisia, Purshia, Chrysothamnus.
Strongly seleniferous clay-shales of the Troublesome Formation; on steep barrens with sparse plant cover, sagebrush badlands. Associated taxa: Artemisia, Purshia, Chrysothamnus.
Strongly seleniferous clay-shales of the Troublesome Formation; on steep barrens with sparse plant cover, sagebrush badlands. Associated taxa: Artemisia, Purshia, Chrysothamnus.
Terrestrial Habitats
Shrubland/chaparralBarrens
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN1
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | S1 | Yes |
Threat Assessments
| Threat | Scope | Severity | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 - Transportation & service corridors | Large - restricted | Slight or 1-10% pop. decline | High - moderate |
| 4.1 - Roads & railroads | Restricted (11-30%) | Unknown | High (continuing) |
| 4.2 - Utility & service lines | Large (31-70%) | Slight or 1-10% pop. decline | Moderate (short-term) |
| 6 - Human intrusions & disturbance | Large (31-70%) | Moderate - slight | High (continuing) |
| 6.1 - Recreational activities | Large (31-70%) | Moderate - slight | High (continuing) |
| 8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Restricted - small | Unknown | High (continuing) |
| 11 - Climate change & severe weather | Pervasive (71-100%) | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
| 11.1 - Habitat shifting & alteration | Pervasive (71-100%) | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
| 11.2 - Droughts | Pervasive (71-100%) | Extreme - serious | High (continuing) |
Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (3)
Colorado (2)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Dome Peak | Routt NF | 35,716 |
| Troublesome South | Routt NF | 47,359 |
South Dakota (1)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Creek | Buffalo Gap National Grassland | 24,666 |
References (11)
- Colorado Native Plant Society. 1989. Rare plants of Colorado. Rocky Mountain Nature Association, Colorado Native Plant Society, Estes Park, Colorado. 73 pp.
- Colorado Natural Heritage Program. 2004. The First Annual Colorado Rare Plant Symposium: Threatened, Endangered and Candidate Plants of Colorado. Symposium Minutes.
- Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP). 2022. Biodiversity Tracking and Conservation System (Biotics 5). Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
- Handwerk, J., L. Grunau, and S. Spackman-Panjabi. 2015. Colorado Wildlife Action Plan: 2015 Rare Plant Addendum. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
- 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.
- Krening, P. 2021. Penland’s beardtongue (Penstemon penlandii) population trend monitoring summary-2021. Prepared for the Colorado State Office - Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior.
- Neale, J.R. and M. DePrenger-Levin. 2008. Report to the Bureau of Land Management on the survey work conducted for <i>Penstemon penlandii </i>W.A. Weber (Penland's penstemon).
- Rondeau, R., K. Decker, J. Handwerk, J. Siemers, L. Grunau, and C. Pague. 2011. The state of Colorado's biodiversity 2011. Prepared for The Nature Conservancy. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.
- Spackman, S., B. Jennings, J. Coles, C. Dawson, M. Minton, A. Kratz, and C. Spurrier. 1997. Colorado rare plant field guide. Prepared for Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by Colorado Natural Heritage Program.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 1988. Proposal to determine <i>Astragalus osterhoutii</i> and <i>Penstemon penlandii</i> to be endangered species. Federal Register 53(128): 25181-25185.
- Weber, W.A. 1986. Penstemon penlandii, spec. nov. (SCR) from Colorado. Phytologia 60(6): 459-461.