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Penstemon gentianoides
Penstemon gentianoides, the gentian beardtongue or gentian-leaved penstemon, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. Found on volcanic mountain slopes across Mexico and Central America, especially in Mexican mountain pine forests, it is a somewhat shrubby perennial herb that can grow up to 1.5 meters tall in good conditions. It has dense bundles of leaves and thyrse-shaped flower clusters with 3–6 flowers which are blue-violet. Named for its similarity to gentians, the species was first described in 1817. It was moved from its original genus Chelone to Penstemon in 1825, and was designated the type species of the new section Fasciculus in 1962.
P. gentianoides is pollinated by several species of hummingbirds and bumblebees, but can also self-pollinate.
In Kunth's original publication on the species, the habitat was described as cold places on the slope of the volcano Nevado de Toluca in central Mexico. Poiret designated a location near Tolú in Colombia as the type locality of Penstemon gentianoides. According to Plants of the World Online, its distribution encompasses Guatemala, Honduras, and all but the northwest of Mexico. In particular, the species is found on volcanic peaks of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt at elevations of 3,000–4,200 meters.
Penstemon gentianoides has been used as an ethnomedicine in Mexico. An infusion of the roots and leaves is used for anti-inflammatory purposes. A 2011 study demonstrated that certain monoterpene extracts from the roots of the plant did possess anti-inflammatory properties in a laboratory setting on a similar level to the common drug indomethacin. Other folk medicine applications for the plant include using it as an emollient, balsamic, laxative, and anti-rheumatic.
Firleaf beardtongue · Stemless beardtongue · Sharpleaf penstemon · Los Alamos beardtongue · Alberta beardtongue · White penstemon · White River Beardtongue · Whitemargin beardtongue · Gilia beardtongue · Penstemon angelicus · Siskiyou beardtongue · Broadbeard beardtongue
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Penstemon gentianoides by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
