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Penstemon virens
Also called Blue Mist Penstemon
Penstemon virens, commonly known as blue mist penstemon, Front Range penstemon, or Green beardtongue, is a common Penstemon in the Front Range foothills in Colorado and Wyoming. The dainty flowers are an ornament to many rocky or sandy area within its range. It is confusingly similar to Penstemon humilis and Penstemon albertinus though the ranges of these plants do not overlap in the wild. The origin of calling it the "blue mist penstemon" is not precisely known, but is thought to relate to the large number of blue flowers the plant can produce reminding observers of a blue mist.
Blue mist penstemons are recommended as garden plants by local governments, water providers, and extension services for areas in or near the Front Range. They are prized for their low water usage, adaptation to local climate, handsome blooms, long lifespan, and ease of cultivation. They are drought tolerant once established, but not adapted to constantly dry conditions.
In garden settings they are adapted to full sun to partial shade conditions in the west and full sun in the east of the United States. They are quite adaptable to different garden soil conditions, but like all penstemons are healthier with good drainage. Dr. Dale Lindgren of the University of Nebraska writes that their seeds require cold and moist stratification of six weeks at 4.5 °C for good germination rates or to be planted outside over the winter. However, experiments by Dr. Norman C. Deno indicate that period of dry warm storage of around 21 °C (70 °F) for six months before cool moist stratification is critical.
Penstemon virens is commonly found growing on rocky slopes, on rock outcrops, in forest openings, along road cuts, and other disturbed areas. They grow from 1600 to 3000 m in elevation.
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 virens 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.
