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Penland Beardtongue
There is only one population of this blue-and-purple flowered plant in existence.
About This Species
An endemic species is a species found in one place and nowhere else on Earth. The Penland beardtongue is endemic not only to the state of Colorado, but to a mere five-square mile radius around the town of Kremmling. This flower is a perennial (it normally lives for more than two years) and has a hard, woody stem. In addition to bees, this flower is pollinated by the pollen-collecting wasp (Pseudomasaris vespoides), which collects pollen to feed its young — a behavior that is common for bees but highly unusual for wasps; these wasps specialize in collecting pollen from Penland beardtongues and other penstemons. The Penland beardtongue is known to occur at only two sites in the world and is federally listed as endangered.
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Physical Characteristics
This compact perennial (it lives over two years) penstemon grows to 10 inches tall. It has small linear leaves (long and narrow with rounded ends). Each of its bicolored flowers has blue lobes at the top of the pistil, the structure that holds the female reproductive parts, and a violet throat, the inside of the flower tube (flowers often have distinctly colored throats to attract pollinators). These flowers open from June to July.
Range
Penland beardtongue has a tiny range: The entire species exists within a five-square mile radius around Kremmling in Grand County. This species' elevation range is 7,396 to 8,091 feet.
Habitat
Penland penstemon grows on steep barrens (pieces of land with little vegetation) in selenium-containing clay-shale badlands.
This species can be found on barrens with no other species, but also in areas with sparse cover of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), rabbitbrush (species in the genus Chrysothamnus), lupine (species in the genus Lupinus), buckwheats (species in the genus Eriogonum), Nutall desert parsley (Lomatium nuttallii) and Osterhout's milkvetch (Astragalus osterhoutii).
Threats to Species
This species is thought to be highly vulnerable to climate change, and recent hot and dry years have resulted in reductions in plant density. Additionally, off-highway vehicle use on the steep slopes where this plant lives could be dangerous for this species. Power line and road maintenance, as well as the spread of invasive plants, are also potential threats to this narrow endemic, a species endemic to a very small area.