SCARLET HONEYSUCKLE (Penstemon cordifolius, Benth.). 

 Flowers scarlet, the narrow, tubular corolla about 1| inches 

 long, 2-lipped, the upper lip erect, the stamens and pistil con- 

 spicuous in the extended lower lip; flowers borne in short, 

 leafy, terminal panicles. Leaves roundish, heart-shaped, 

 toothed, an inch long or so, dark green and of somewhat leath- 

 ery texture. A vine-like perennial, rather woody, 6 or 8 feet 

 high, clambering over shrubs in Southern California; blooming 

 from May to July. 



It is a -misnomer to call this Penstemon honeysuckle, which 

 is of quite another family, but the general look of the flower 

 and the habit of the plant lend color to the popular name. 

 The aspect of the foliage, however, is more suggestive of the 

 cultivated Fuchsia than of Honeysuckle. It is a frequent 

 plant in the chaparral belt of southern California mountains 

 and its showy flowers, nodding from the tips of the gracefully 

 drooping branches, are a familiar sight to travelers over the 

 hill trails. 



A species that somewhat resembles this is Penstemon ternatus, 

 Torr., growing in similar situations. The wand-like flowering 

 shoots of this are glaucous, and the stiff, narrow leaves are 

 whorled in 3's above. 



