Penstemon smallii | |
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In situ at Blood Mountain, Georgia | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Plantaginaceae |
Genus: | Penstemon |
Species: | P. smallii
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Binomial name | |
Penstemon smallii |
Penstemon smallii is a species of flowering plant also known as Small's penstemon. [1] They are native to the mountains of the Southeastern United States. They are state listed in Georgia (S1), Alabama (S1), Tennessee (S3), North Carolina (S3), and South Carolina (S2). [2]
They typically bloom in late spring or early summer with branched panicles of white to purple flowers. [1] They produce inflated tubular flowers 2- 3.5 cm long with two spreading lips, the lower much longer than the upper. [3] The upper lip has two lobes and the lower lip has three lobes, with the flower's throat having two strong ridges and abundant bearding. [3] The leaves are serrate, glabrous, and generally have a lanceolate shape with cordate bases. [3] Stem leaves are sessile, arranged oppositely, and clasp around the stem, though they also contain all the aforementioned elements. [3]
Primarily found in the Southern Appalachians of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee, the species extends across the Ridge and Valley south into Alabama. There is also a population disjunction in the Piedmont of North Carolina within Wake County. [4] They are generally found within or around rock outcrops, glades, barrens, bluffs, and rocky slopes, preferring circumneutral soils lacking in fertility. [3] They are also known less frequently from open rocky woodlands, cliffs, and occasionally forest openings. [3] They are most often pollinated by bumblebees and wasps. [3]