inflorescence of one to several rather dense verticillasters, the flowers spreading 

 at right angles to the stem: calyx usually 3-7 (-9) mm. long, the segments 

 obscurely to evidently scarious-margined and sometimes erose, tapering or abruptly 

 narrowed to the apex; corolla blue-purple, mostly 11-15 mm. long and 3-5 mm. 

 wide at mouth: palate bearded: staminode usually bearded at least at the ex- 

 panded tip, rarely glabrous: pollen sacs glabrous, ovate, mostly 0.6-1 mm. long, 

 dehiscent throughout and becoming opposite but seldom explanate: capsule 5-6 

 mm. long. 



Wet mt. meadows and wet open forest slopes, in N. M. (Rio Arriba and San 

 Juan COS.) and Ariz. (Coconino Co.), June-Aug.; Wyo. and Ida., s. to N.M. and 

 Ariz. 



6. Penstemon virgatus Gray. 



Plants minutely glandular-pruinose to glabrous; stem strict and elongate, 3-6 

 dm. tall: leaves linear to linear-lanceolate, 4—10 cm. long; peduncles short, 1- to 

 3-flowered; thyrse virgate; sepals ovate; corolla lilac with purple veins, about 2 

 cm. long, abruptly dilated into a broadly campanulate-funnelform throat about 

 as wide as long, distinctly bilabiate, the lower lip usually bearded, the broad lips 

 widely spreading; stamens nearly equaling the lips of the corolla; anther sacs 

 glabrous or finely scabrid on the sides, opening throughout, opposite, straight; 

 staminodes glabrous. 



In wet meadows and in seepage areas, in N. M. (widespread) and Ariz. (Apache 

 to Mohave, s. to Cochise, Gila and Yavapai cos.), summer. 



12. Besseya Rydb. Kitten-tails 



Perennial subscapose herbaceous plants; leaves alternate and mostly basal; 

 stem leaves sessile, bractlike and smaller than basal ones: basal blades cordate- 

 ovate to oblong, toothed, short-petioled; flowers in terminal spikes or spikelike 

 racemes, conspicuously bracted; sepals usually 4 and almost distinct but some- 

 times 1 to 3 and variously united; corolla wanting or when present irregular and 

 2-lipped, violet-purple, yellow or white, upper lip entire and concave, lower lip 

 shorter and more or less 3-lobed: stamens 2, exserted, the anther sacs parallel or 

 nearly so, adnate to corolla or when latter is lacking inserted on a hypog>'nous 

 disk; seeds several, flat. 



About a dozen species, all in North America. 



1. Corolla 5 mm. long or more, strongly exserted: capsules emarginate at apex, 

 5-6 mm. long: leaves typically subcuneate at base, to 20 cm. long 

 \. B. plantai^inea. 



I. Corolla not more than 5 mm. long, moderately exserted: capsules rounded 

 to somewhat acute at apex, not more than 5 mm. long; leaves 



rounded to subcordate at base, not more than 8 cm. long 



2. B. arizonica. 



1. Besseya planfaginea (James) Rydb. 



Plants more or less tomentose (especially at first); basal leaves 5-20 cm. long, 

 ovate to ovate-oblong, sometimes lanceolate-oblong, broadly to narrowly cuneate 

 at base, crenate; scapes usually 2-4 dm. high, sometimes shorter, with several 

 to many bractlike leaves below the inflorescence: sepals with lateral lobes united 

 at base for less than one third their length: corolla 5-8 mm. long, conspicuously 

 exserted. the lower lip with lobes over one third the length of the lip, white to 

 purplish-tinged; filaments not especially conspicuously colored; capsules emargi- 

 nate at apex, 5-6 mm. long. 



On moist slopes and in wet meadows in N. M. (Santa Fe, San Miguel and 

 Otero COS.), and Ariz. (Apache and Greenlee cos.), June-Aug ; also n. to Wyo. 



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