Dusty beardtongue facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dusty beardtongue |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Penstemon
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| Species: |
comarrhenus
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Penstemon comarrhenus is a cool plant often called the dusty beardtongue or dusty penstemon. It's a type of plant that lives for many years, like a tree, and it belongs to the plantain family. You can find this plant growing in the beautiful Colorado Plateau and Canyonlands areas in the southwestern United States.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
How It Grows
The dusty beardtongue is a plant that stands tall! It can grow anywhere from about 1 foot (30 cm) to 4 feet (1.2 meters) high. It's a perennial, which means it comes back year after year.
Leaves and Stems
This plant has smooth stems. Its leaves grow in pairs, one across from the other. The leaves near the bottom are shaped like a spear and can be about 3/4 inch (1.9 cm) to 5 inches (12.7 cm) long. As you go up the stem, the leaves become more narrow and a bit smaller.
Flowers and Fruits
Get ready for some pretty colors! From May to July, the dusty beardtongue shows off its pale blue flowers. After the flowers bloom, the plant produces small, round fruits called capsules.
Where Does It Live?
The dusty beardtongue likes to live in several different types of places. You can spot it in pinyon juniper woodlands, which are forests with small pine and juniper trees. It also grows in mountain brush areas, ponderosa pine forests, and even in Douglas fir and aspen forest communities. These are all natural areas in the southwestern United States.
Who Visits This Plant?
Bees are super important for the dusty beardtongue! They are the main visitors that help pollinate the flowers. This means bees carry pollen from one flower to another, helping the plant make seeds and grow new plants.
