2l6 



FIGWORT FAMILY 



Anthers not woolly. 



Corolla pale, pink-striped 3. P. brevifiorus. 



Corolla blue or purplish. 



Flowers in dense whorls or heads; sterile filament hairy. 4. P. confertus. 

 Flowers more scattered, in open racemes or panicles; 

 sterile filament glabrous. 

 Inflorescence and calyx glandular. 



Corolla 1 in. long 5. P. laetus. 



Corolla t/t to 2 A in. long 6. P. roezli. 



Inflorescence and calyx glabrous 7. P. azureus. 



1. P. menziesii Hook. Pride of the Mountains. Stems 

 numerous, woody below, 1 ft. or 

 less high. Leaves ovate, finely 

 toothed or entire, J4 to 1 in. long, 

 J4 to Yi in. wide, the upper ones 

 smaller. Corolla 1 in. long, slightly 

 2-lipped; upper lip 2-cleft; lower lip 

 3-lobed. Anthers densely woolly. 



In the Yosemite National Park 

 are found two seemingly distinct 

 forms of this variable species. The 

 first is a bushy plant with bright- 

 red flowers and is very common on 

 rocky ledges up to altitudes of 

 9000 to 10,000 ft. It is known as 

 var. newberryi Gray. The second form is found only above 

 timber-line, where it is recognized by its small size, com- 

 monly 4 in. or less high, the small and rounded entire leaves, 

 and the large, purple corolla, often 1 to 1^4 m - long. This is 

 the var. davidsonii Piper. It was first named Pentstemon 

 davidsonii Greene, in honor of the late Professor George 

 Davidson, who gathered the original specimens on Mt. Con- 

 ness, at an altitude of 12,300 ft., in 1890. More recent collec- 

 tions, especially in Washington, have shown it to be only 

 an Alpine form of P. menziesii, which, in its typical condition, 

 is a bushy plant with bluish flowers and does not occur in our 

 district. 



2. P. bridgesii Gray. Stems many, woody below, slender, 

 2 ft. or more high, blooming from about the middle. Leaves 

 lanceolate, 1 to 2 in. long, less than y 2 in. wide, the upper 

 much smaller. Corolla scarlet, 1 in. long, narrowly funnel- 

 form; upper lip straight, 2-lobed; lower lip 3-parted and re- 

 curved. Sterile filament glabrous. 



Hummingbirds are frequently seen hovering over the 

 patches of this Pentstemon, attracted by the red flowers 

 which stand out in loose, airy clusters. While gathering nee- 



