27 



essentially glabrous below becoming strongly 

 glandular-hairy in the inflorescence; leaves all 

 entire or nearly so, the basal with elliptic to ovate 

 blade up to 6 cm. long and 3.5 cm. wide, longer or 

 shorter than the petioled, the cauline mostly sessile 

 and oblong or lanceolate, up to about 6 cm. long and 

 1.5 cm. wide; inflorescence of 2-7 verticillasters, 

 these not very dense; calyx elongate, 7-11 mm. long, 

 the segments lanceolate or narrower and wholly or 

 almost wholly herbaceous; corolla glandular-hairy 

 externally, blue or violet to dull purple, lavender, 

 or cream, sometimes vari-colored, 18-28 mm. long, 

 strongly inflated distally, mostly 7-11 mm. wide at 

 the mouth, glabrous, 1-1.4 mm. long, wholly 

 dehiscent, becoming opposite and eventually 

 explanate; staminode evidently exserted from the 

 orifice of the corolla, usually bearded toward the 

 scarcely expanded tip; ovary and capsule ordinarily 

 glandular-puberulent near the tip; capsule 6-9 mm. 

 and seeds about 1-1.5 mm. long. 



3. LOCAL FIELD CHARACTERS: Penstemon whippleanus is 



distinguished by a white or pale white corolla. The 

 plant is glabrous below the inflorescence and the 

 staminode is also glabrous or bearded only at tip. 



D. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



1. RANGE: Penstemon whippleanus is found on dry 

 meadows and open or lightly wooded, often rocky slopes 

 well up in the mountains, often near timber line. 



2. CURRENT SITES: This is the first element occurrence 

 for Penstemon whippleanus in the Centennial Valley. 

 Efforts to relocate the only other Montana collection 

 site for it in Gallatin County have been unsuccessful 

 to date. 



E. HABITAT 



1. ASSOCIATED VEGETATION: Penstemon whippleanus was found 

 in a disturbed area associated with an avalanche chute 

 with the following grasses and forbs: 



Artemisia ludoviciana (western mugwort) 

 Bromus ciliatus (fringed brome) 

 Carex vallicola (valley sedge) 

 Epilobium latifolium (red willow-herb) 

 Eriaeron qlabellus (smooth daisy) 

 Fraqaria virqiniana (wild strawberry) 

 Geum macrophyllum (large-leaved avens) 

 Heracleum lanatum (cow parsnip) 



