Cleveland's beardtongue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cleveland's beardtongue |
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The Penstemon clevelandii, also known as Cleveland's beardtongue, is a beautiful wild flower. It belongs to a group of plants called penstemons. This plant is a type of perennial herbaceous plant, which means it's not woody like a tree and it lives for more than two years.
It grows with upright, branching stems that can reach up to 70 centimeters tall. Its leaves are thick and oval-shaped, sometimes with small teeth along the edges. They are usually 2 to 6 centimeters long. The flowers grow in a cluster called an inflorescence. Each flower is shaped like a tube with a wide, lipped opening. They are often pink to magenta in color and can be up to 2.4 centimeters long. The outside of the flower might feel a bit sticky because it has tiny glands.
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Discovering Cleveland's Beardtongue
This special plant gets its name, clevelandii, from a person named Daniel Cleveland. He was a plant collector and a lawyer from San Diego in the 1800s. He helped discover and study many plants in the area. The "specific epithet" in a plant's scientific name is like its unique last name, and it often honors someone important or describes a key feature of the plant.
Where Does It Grow?
Cleveland's beardtongue is native to specific parts of North America. You can find it growing naturally in southern California and Baja California in Mexico.
What Kind of Places Does It Like?
This plant loves to grow in mountain and desert areas. It thrives in different types of habitats, including:
- Scrublands, which are areas with low-growing shrubs.
- Woodlands, where there are more trees.
- Chaparral, a type of shrubland common in California with dense, evergreen shrubs.
Different Types of Cleveland's Beardtongue
Scientists have found that there are a few slightly different versions of Cleveland's beardtongue. These are called "subtaxa," which means they are smaller groups within the main species. They are sometimes recognized as different varieties or subspecies.
