BULLETIN OF THE

AMERICAN PENST8vK]\J SOCIETY

Penstem:m palmeri

No. 45-2

December, 1986

AllERICNI PfNSTEIIIII SOCIETY

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Will!! l"'ICl§

'MIIDEIIT • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• ".Iyotl P. 1Ct1,ldli. 1410 Eudorl St •• Pto •• r CO aouo fltE 'R(SIOUT. • • •

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY.

ROBI. CIRCI.£ CDDRDIIlATOR ••••

J_. E. Tlylor. 52 Ellt""ed .... tchfns ••• KS 61501

OrvIlI. N. 5t .... nI. P.O. n. PI)IIOUth. VI 85051

..Bttly Pt •• .,.,rl 4138 II. 4th 51.,Y_. A1 "5l~

TREASUIIER ••• , • 0 •• , • , , •••• "". CI .... A. lu,rel1. 661 Mont ... A •••• Lov.lI. lIT .2431

IIEIIIIERS-AT-LARII£ OF THE mCUlIYE IIOARII., Jld Ilugr.lr. IIll PlI""I .. Rd •• Clo ... dtlo. CA 95425 n...... P. Ca n. Rt. 1 Jen"Gllle. On1lrto. C ... dt lOlllRO

Mrs. Alfr.d Pllr. 12005 Ehf. P Ie. "E. Albuquerqu •• "" 171Z2

~OF'I~

EDITOR •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • "0", L. Yll1i1ltllil. 3" Chelt.nh .. Dr. lIIyt ... ON 45451

ASSOCIATE EOITOR. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• .... K.I ... II,. telO Eudora St •• Don •• r CO 10220

EDITORIAL COltllITTEE. • • , • • • • , • • • ~m:r!f~I~::I.Dlractor Mill. litchi' Snyder Mr. I Mr •• "offre, Wl1ll ... K .... th Lodtwt.t Mork ""_gh

DIRECTOR or SEEO EXCItAll8£. • • • • Mrl. Btlt. Pttlrs ••• 408 South III St.. S.lttl. IIA 98la9

L1IAARIA" • • • • • • • • • • Mri. EII,.hth .. I.nder, ,·Co. Arbont ... 6733 Sprlngbor. Plk, . . .. . Dlyt •• , 011 45449

CUSTODIAN OF SliDE COLLECTION. • • •• ,. d_. r. '"ylor. 52 rut_d .... tebln •••• KS 67601

M81SWR Of IIAMfO YARIlTltS • • • • MI ... __ gh, 98 Gr ... St. It.t .. t.n IIA 02173

!! CO!!!ESPDRO£!!CE CIRCl.ES (ROIIINSI !!!!!!!!!!!!!ru1!!

E1ECUlIY£ ••••• , •••••••• ,. .. )'Otf Po ICtllld ... 1410 Eudora St •• Dln.lr CO MUll

'HOTOIRA'"' ••••••••••• , .••• 0 ol.n, L. D"."port. 4nt It. 4tb St. YUIIa Al 151M

CROSS COURT.' • • • • • • • , , • • • • • IIrs. hYfr. "ollllt.n,Rt. I. ... 77. IItnly. .. 68943

ORfEIITftUMI • • • • • • • • •• MI .. Racbtl Snyder. 420D Olford Rd •• 'ralrl. ytlll ... KS 66208

ClOSS COURTRY • • • • • • • • • • Mr •• Clark turrell. 5&1 Mont ... AVI •• lOVlll. VY 82431

WEST COAST I CNIAOA • • Mr •• LtllI ... ""8rfde. 702 E. longf.lIow. Spok .... VA 99107

I IIOCK &AIOE"S • • • • • Mr •• R'chard A. Cerhon, 1137 N. Hlghla". full.rt ••• CA "635

9 "YBRIDIlATlON. HUeTtllll. IOTANY •••••• ""'" E. To,lor. S2 Ellt"""' Hutchl ..... U 67&01

11 ClOSS CDURTlIY • •

11 ItIRECTORS ROIl" • htt, L. Pt.lnport 4 UI W •• t~ 5t. ,_ Al IUM

14 CROSS COUIITRI ••••••• II, ....... O.bur., 1ft' WI ... Tretl Dr" •• Jtcks ... III •• OR 97630

II CROSS COUNTRY •• , • • • • • • •• Mrt. l.S. Stgunl.01I, ... 261. £thrldg •• "' "435

II ClIIJSS COUIIT.Y • Mro. Alfred PIli. 12005 Ehln Placti lIE. AlbUqu.rqu •• "" 81112

to VEST COAST •• Mr •• Thtl_ Chelftlld. 2403 H U2nd Pllce. St.ttl •• IIA tll46

!!n INfORMATIOII

.EBULAR IIEIIIIUSHI'I $7.60 'or Ifngll or hvlhlnd Ind wlf. SUSTAINING: $10.00 f:~~S:~~=f~~I~IOD!:OOO lov ...... _Il ... t .fllllll 'or re,ld ""varll

Mit, Chich ,."blt tOl TIlt: AIlERICAN P£"STEIIOH 5OCIU' 5111d dull tol Mr 0"111. St_nl, ......... Ihlp Secretary.

BOl U, PI)IIOUth. " 05056

CONTENTS

COLOR SLIDE COLLECTION. . . PENSTEMON FIELD IDENTIFIER. • • • • MEMBERSHIP LIST NOTICE.

.iii iii iii MATERIAL IN OUR LIBRARY •

EDITOR'S MESSAGE •••.. VIGNETTS--OUT OF THE PAST

. . . . iv

Ralph Bennett Glenn Viehmeyer Amel Priest

NOTES FROM THE SEED DIRECTOR. • FOREIGN NOTES . • • • • . • • . • . . • • . MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING • . • . • • • TRIP REPORTS

Kelaidis Trip. • • • • • Trip to Yuma, Arizona, Davenport .

1 2

4 5 6

11 • 14 Lodewick Trips • . •

. . • . . 17

PENSTEMONS AS CUT FLOWERS

GARDEN REPORTS Carl Amason. . . Erma Pilz. • • • . . . • . . . • • . Howard McCready. • .•.. Vivienne Harold. • • • • . • . • . • Izetta Renton. • • Birdie Padavich. • Elizabeth LeCount •• Rachel Snyd~r. • • • • • •••• Mark McDonough • • • • • James Taylor • • George Yingling ••

REPORT OF THE REGISTRAR • • • • TO BED WITH SAND OR PEBBLE. • . . • • • • • • SMALL PENSTEMONS FOR SMALL ROCK ROCK GARDEN HOW TO USE A KEY .••.• COVER PENSTEMONS. . • • . • • • . • . • • . 1987 NATIONAL APS MEETING

ii

19

20 22 23 24 25 27 30 33 35 36 38

40 41 44 46 51 54

COLOR SLIDE COLLECTION

The Society has two excellent collections of 35-mm. color slides for loan to its members and to garden clubs at no cost except postage one way and safe delivery insurance. The postage to you will be paid by the Society; the return postage by the borrower. One set of slides was assembled principally to fit the needs of garden clubs and other organizations. The other set is for people who wish to learn to know the different species of Penstemons and is designed especially to show the botanical points relied on for identification.

APPLY TO THE CUSTODIAN: MR. JAMES E. TAYLOR, 52 EASTWOOD, HUTCHINSON, KS 67501

PENSTEMON FIELD IDENTIFIER

We still have all sections available. Prices are $1.50 per section, the set for $12.00 postpaid. Overseas buyers should add 75c per section or $5.00 for the full set for postage. Checks should be made payable to KENNETH LODEWICK. Checks made to the Society will be returned.

ORDER FROM: KENNETH LODEWICK, 2526 UNIVERSITY ST., EUGENE, OR 97403

MEMBERSHIP LIST

There have been changes in our membership, and we are updating and correcting our files. We plan to issue a separate list to all members later in the spring. We would appreciate prompt payment of dues for we will be eliminating members who did not pay their 1986 dues. Please check your records for it is easy to overlook dues payment. We do not normally send reminders for it is a waste of funds, and we try to run the Society efficently.

iii

MATERIAL IN OUR LIBRARY

The Society has a library for use by its members. The librarian is: Mrs. Elizabeth Bolender, % Cox Arboretum, 6733 Springboro Pike, Dayton, OH 45449: Attention, Penstemon Library. Material may be borrowed under the following conditions:

Number that may be taken at ~ time:

BulletinEDf the Society and Penstemons Studies, one at a time

Time that material may be kept: Two weeks free. The third and fourth weeks, 5~ per week. Limit four weeks.

Expenses: The Society will pay the expense to you. You pay the postage and insurance charge to return the material.

Followingisa listof materialthatcanbe borrowed:

Bulletins of the Society from t;he first one, 1946 to date.Studies in Peftstemon~ No 1 (Habroanthtts), IIIo .! (DaSanthera), -­No 1 (Eastern Species), No .! (Anularius), No 5 (Aurator). (All of these were prepar~d

by aalph Bennett) , History of ~ American Penstemon Society.

Manual for Beginners With Penstemon The California Penstemons~ Percy f.!. Everett,

Raneho'Santa Ana 'Botanical Garden. Bulletin of the American Rock Garden SocietYi

specialPenstemon number Penstemon in Your Garden Ex. Glenn Viehmeyer. The National Horticulture Magadne.:.a..speCial

number E.!!. Penstemons, Jan. 1'951. Taxonomy in Simple Language~ RalphBennett. The Scrophulariacea of Eastern Temperate North

Americai Ex. Francis ~ Pennell, ~ 1935.

iv

EDITORS MESSAGE

You will note a change in print style and size in this issue. The style is Prestige Elite with 12 characters per inch instead of 15 per inch with the Mini Gothic daisy wheel I was using. I had a problem with the Mini Gothic wheel and substituted the prestige Elite which provides somewhat larger print and which you may find more satisfactory. I would appreciate your comments if you would care to write.

Note Elizabeth LeCount's comments on the meeting in Denver and Boulder that are included in her garden report. Her review of the trip to the Heaps was well done and needs no further comment.

Ed Godleski provided excellent minutes of the APS meeting at Denver Botanic Gardens'; I added not.es concerning the answers t.o the survey topics which were provided to me in writing by members present.

In discussions with Panayoti Kelaidis, our PreSident, we wish to include a section featuring our overseas members. I will be writing to them to solici t tbeir support. There are outstanding gardeners amone tbem, and lIe would like to know more abOut" their success with Penstemon as well as theit other gardenina :interests. We will welcome theit letters. '

Note the iateresting projects in which some of our members ate engaged aud in which Penstemons are playing an important" part.

Betty Davenport is now our Robin Director and has moved to Yuma Arizona. Vivienne Harold who has had eye surgery: and who has done a fiite job for many years requested relief from the job. The Society commends ber for her devotion and excellent work.

Ellen Wilde provided several slides which I had converted into prints to use on the Bulletin cover. One of them, P. ambiguus, is on the back cover; it is a much desired Penstemon,and if you attend the 1987 meeting in Santa Fe next June, you will likely see it in the wild, and have an opportuni ty to acquire plants at one of the local nurseries.

1

VIGNETTS

OUT OF THE PAST

When the library material was transferred to the Cox Arboretum, we discovered a box of approxi­mately 200 old slides. We converted some to prints that we thought would be of interest and have included them in this issue. Others will be included in future issues.

Ralph Bennett

The father of the American Penstemon Society, Ralph was a proud Bostionian who migrated to Virginia to become a Court Reporter for the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington. For a number of years he had lived in Little Neck, Long Island with his .wife. After retirement in 1962, he moved to Florida where .he lived until his death in 1978.

The prodigious effort he was able to muster in producing his Studies in Penstemon and othe.r important material is revealed in some of his statements. "I must have been born with a double supply of energy. Whenever I decided to do something, I plunged into it with heart and soul. Instead of playing golf or running for political office, operating a farm or trying to rise in the social world, I spent all of my spare time doing things for the Society. Every year I tackled some new project."

A history of the Society is available in the December 1967 issue of the Bulletin and may be borrowed by members.

Glenn Viehmeyer

On June 10, 1974, Glenn Viehmeyer died suddenly of a heart attack while collecting plants in the wild. He was considered perhaps the world's grea test authori ty on breeding Penstemons .and adapting them to garden use. He received many

2

Glenn Viehmeyer & Ra.lph Bennet.t

19~)8

j'J11el and Lucille Prier1t 1952

:3

awards for his breeding and selection work with all kinds of plants. He also was the first non­Canadian to be elected to life membership in the Western Canadian Society of Horticulture.

It was said of him, "Glenn was a large man with a large ego and a large capacity for work and for reflection. He was a very religious person but also some~hat irreverent. He was awed by the universe and by the world around him but not by the challenges they presented to his intellect. He relished challenge from nature or man and was happiest when confronted by a person or a problem that made him calIon his intellect or physical reserves. ol

Older members will remember the vast amount of hybrid seeds he contributed to the Seed Exchange each year.

Arnel Priest

Amel, a retired farmer in Peru, Iowa, remembered especially for his marvelous article on the trip he made with Dr Worth in 1947, was one of the original members of the Society which had its beginning in 1945/1946. Fortunately, he is still wi th us.

He was Treasurer £or a few years and also printed the Bulletin on a mimeograph machine using mats preparedby Ralph; he then distributed it. In the early y~ars he was a Robin Director. He has also written many articles published in the Bulletin throughout the years. He now belongs to one of the Robins and continues to provide valuable information on Penstemons in the wild as well as for garden grown types. He has been spending the winters near Yuma Arizona.

NOTES FROM SEED DIRECTOR, BETTE PETERSON

Donors sending fill at least ten cannot be listed. NOVEMBER 15.

seed, please enclose enough to packets; otherwise the seed SEED COLLECTING DEADLINE IS

4

Members ordering seeds are expected to follow instructions; those orders which do not will be processed late. please order only one of each seed packet in order that all members will have a chance. People wishing more than one packet of a species may order near the end of the ordering season which is MARCH 15.

Red penstemons still continue popular and there was an increased demand for species this year over hybrids. Orders for dwarf forms and P. teucrioides were far more than the seed supply,So cherish them if you were one of the lucky ones. And for some reason overseas mail was received late for which, on behalf of our postal service, I

apologize.

Thank you all for your help in making us a good organization. My new address is:

408 South 218 Street Seattle, WA 98198

FOREIGN NOTES

Bette Peterson, our Seed Exchange Director, received an interesting note from Arne Kr. Jorgensen, Asperup, Denmark.

"I am very satisfied with the seeds you have sent me in other years. I have over 100 different Penstemons in my garden and have a nursery, and I sell many of the best species in my nursery. I have more than 40 Penstemon in my list.

The Danes do not know much about Penstemons, but when they see them, they think they are pretty ...

With this note he submitted his seed order.

We acquired nine new members from overseas during this last year, three at our membership booth at ALPINES 86 in Boulder. We welcome you and would appreciate hearing from you about your gardening. Write us if we can be of assistance.

5

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PENSTEMON SOCIETY

by Edward S. Godleski

and George Yingling

Friday, June ~ 1986, Denver Botanical Gardens

The meeting was presided over by the APS president, Panayoti P. Kelaidis. Over 35 members of the Society were in attendance.

The president felt that three facets of the Society should be sddressed at the meeting:

1. 2. 3.

The APS Bulletin and its editoralship. Robins - recruit new members. The next two years for the Society -communication and structure.

Positions on the board of directors are open. A nominating committee is needed.

In the time available for the meeting, matters concerning the Bulletin dominated discussion. Everyone expressed gratitude to George Yingling, the editor of the Bulletin, for the extraordinary and superb job he has done as editor. George said that he wished for more feedback from members concerning the Bulletin and its contents. Is the Bulletin satifying member's needs and interests? He requested specific comments and suggestions for improving its contents. He stated that the December issue usually contains garden reports, trips by members and some technical information. The July issue stresses education and technical material. By this means it is hoped that the broadest interests of the members can be met.

More Directors from the

information is needed from the Robin who are supposed to extract information Robins, not only on what people are

6

growing, but also performance data and growing conditions. Members in general are encouraged to submit garden reports.

A general discussion followed during which Panayoti wrote a list of topics on a blackboard and requested that each member take a few minutes to write comments on each one listing them in order of importance. The topics were: 1. Field trip reports 2. Garden performance reports 3. Technical articles 4. Old bulletin reprints 5. Membership list 6. Garden forms sent to all members asking them

about Penstemon growth performance etc. 7. Should the Society be formal and professional

versus informal. 8. What do members want to say in the Bulletin 9. Have you written for the Bulletin in the last

tW() years? 10. What do you need from the APS to write for the

Bulletin?

Each member present responded with a variety of helpful comments. All agreed that the article "On the Penstemon Trail With Carl Worth" by Amel Priest, reprinted from a 1947 Bulletin in the December, 1985 issue, was excellent and enjoyable.

Later, at home, the editor reviewed the written comments which, in summary, were as follows: ,

1. There was almost an equal distribution between the first three items with qualifying comments.

Garden reports should not be just a listing of Penstemons being grown but should include data on growing conditions (wet/dry, light/heavy soil, acid/alkaline, sun/shade, hot or cold climate etc.), plant height, bloom color, longevity, and how to succeed in growing species not native to the garden where being grown.

7

Trip reports should include precise information on location, environment, nature of soil, color etc.

At least one in depth technical article on a species Penstemon should be in each issue.

2. There was considerable interest in reprints from old Bulletins that provide useful and unique information and that are not just historical. The reprint of Amel Priest's trip report was an example cited.

3. Sending a form to members requesting specific information on Penstemon being grown was considered to be highly desirable and would improve garden reports. Most of the garden report information now comes from extracts from correspondence robins. We need a broader base, and the forms could increase our data base.

4. Almost wi thout exception the members present wished to keep the Bulletin informal. That does not mean non-professional but warm and intimate with articles by non-professional as well as professional gardeners. The members like to "feel" the personality of the writers. Articles by anyone are welcome.

5. Membership lists are desired every two or three years.

6. Arm twisting and some sort of inspiration seemed to be needed to encourage members to provide articles.

In addition to answers to these topics, requests were made for more about Utah Penstemons (Utah has the most species, 61, of any State), rock garden Penstemons, successful seed germination techniques, successful cutting techniques and an article on Penstemon relatives.

Means by which inexperienced mambers can identify species in the field are needed. How does

8

the inexperienced learn to use a key? (You will note in this issue that we are working on that problem. Let us know whether our approach is satisfactory and, if not, give us suggestions for improvement).

In final analysis, order of priority of topics seemed to be meaningless; comments on the topics were of more importance.

In addi tion to the topic discussion, we were reminded that the present location of the National Headquarters for the Society is at the Cox Arboretum in Dayton, Ohio. The library is located there along with a box of approximately 100 dried and pressed Penstemons and 200 old slides dating between the late 19408 to 1973. These include slides of old members and gardens that Ralph Bennett took. We did not know they existed until the library was sent to us. Some of these were shown at the APS dinner meeting in Boulder, and there was much interest in having some of them converted to prints that coVld be used in the

Bulletin.

The color covers seem to be making a hi t, but good color photos are needed, preferably photos and not slides for slides have to be converted. Detail of bloom and plant habit are desired. Photos should be in good focus without too much background. The plant and bloom detail are of most interest.

Can anyone submit an article on how to prepare plant samples for identification? You can send a sample to the Denver Botanic Garden care of Helen Zemek. Include plant loca tion (county and state), elevation, habitat, date colletced and any other data that would be helpful in identification.

Bette Peterson was commended for the fine job she is doing with the Seed Exchange and has everyones gratitude and encouragement. The Society extends its recognition to her for a superb job well

done.

9

In atte~d~nce at the dinner in Boulder were:

Panayoti Kelaidis ,Denver, co Frank Cooper, Urb~na, IL Ken and Robin Lodewick, Eugene, OR Bodil Lemay, Vancouver, B.C. NorllJ.8n Singe.r, South Sandisfield, MA Geoffrey Charlesworth, South Sandisfield, Elizabeth LeCount, Santa Monica, CA Ena Siefken, Lititz, PA Audrey Williams, Vancouver, B.C. Geoff Williams, Vancouver, B.C. Jeanne C. Anderson, Idaho Falls, ID Phyllis H. Hughes, (home unknown) Ellen Wilde, Santa Fe, NM George & Doroyth Clark, Stamford, NY Kathy Leishman, Vancouver, B.C. Pat Curtin, Albequerque, NM Ellen Reed, Albuquerque, NM Sharon Sutton, Port Townsend, WA Muriel Milsted, Donners Grove, IL James & Betty Taylor, Hutchinson, KS Ted Kipping, San Francisco, CA Norman & Virginia Deno, State College, PA Jean & Harry Butler, Spring Valley, OH Phyllis Gustafson, Oregon Ramona Osburn, Jacksonville, OR Edward G9dleski, Cleveland, OH Dion. Prell, Wisconsin Iza Goroff, East Troy, WI George Yingliqg, Dayton, OH Joseph Halda, Czechoslovakia

MA

Those in attendance had been invited to bring slides, and these were shown much to the delight of those present. .

The arrangements for the ~eeting and trips were well planned and progressed smoothly. We wish to thank those who had a part in planning and guiding the activities.

10

KELAIDIS TRIP by

Gwen Kilaidis

My trough project extended to about forty containers. One is ten sPfcies of pents, and most of them have one kind of Penstemon at least. Penstemon hallii from the higher elevations is a beautiful purple, under 10 inches, and seems to be doing well. The prizes of the summer were P. acaulis and Iampaensis, the most diminutive of the tribe, both under three inches. I pray that we will be able to keep them growing and to flower them. They are fascinating, with narrow little leaves and blossoms right on the mat. !=... acaulis is considered endangered because it grows in a very limited area. Both are endimic to a small section of the Utah-Wyoming-Colorado corner region. There are new houses going up there, but we still couldn't feel too guilty about taking cuttings from pasture land and roadside asphalt dumps. This is a species which needs to have a piece of native habitat set aside for it. Meanwhile we're going to find out if it can be cultivated. We did collect perhaps twenty seeds, at one to four to a capsule. We were a little early for ripe seed, and it was not a moist enough year for a good harvest. We drove nine hundred miles to see this little gem and thought it well worth while.

Along the way we stopped at Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado. We went a bit south looking for !=... grahamii, without success, and stumbled on a very blue-leaved species, possibly !!.. pachyphIllus. One came home wi tb us, and looks lovely in a pot. I am grateful that I have so many plants in pots, so easy to transport now.

the trip to"Ren~ was fantastic. We had a very good time, and thanks to the Backmans for all their hospitality. We were especially thrilled t~ see Keckiella, and also loved P. azureus.

We did quite a lot o~eed collecting on our travels, and also made a ten-day tour of the state

11

of Wyoming, hitting the Snowies, the Bighorns, the Tetons, Yellowstone, and a number of cold desert (bunneries?) and spent several weeks trying to get them cleaned and sent off to exchanges.

We inherited an editing job for next year's rock garden conference report (1986). It's being done in advance and was a 700 page manuscript when we last saw it. The editorial committee, which both Panayoti and I are on, spent many hours proof reading and selecting the color and black and white photos for it. It should be out in time for the conference next June, and will be about 350 pages in 8.5x11 format. It is called Rocky Mountain Alpines, and Betty Blake wrote Chapter 35. The galleys are due back a few days after Christmas, and will have to be read at least five times for errors. I got myself into the job of botanical editor, so spellings of Latin names are my responsibility. EEEKKK!

Panayoti and I are also under contract to write a book on rock gardening in dry climates, due at the publisher's on April 30. And we are playing a big role in the conference,June, 1986, with 600 people for five days. Two hundred forty are registered already. We are going along on the post conference tour as guides--that Wyoming trip again. It is sold out to Americans now, with a few spaces remaining for foreign visitors. So I feel busy, even though some would say I am not working right now.

I have. been reading up on soil mixes lately, discovering that air space and water availability are the most important things in a soil mix in pots. Peat apparently adds lots of air space and holds water well, perlite adds air space, vermiculite is a lot like peat in both water retention and air space, pumice is quite a bit like perlite. Sand is only used now days to add weight and substance to the soil so the plants do not tip over since it does not have much air space and does not hold water well. Understanding clay is my next ven ture. I t see ms to have com pI i ca ted properties and to vary a great deal. Interesting

12

things I have read: a good loam contains 2-7% humus (I thought it would be much more) and most of the humus in soils south of the limits of the last glaciation was deposited in Holocene timesl It sounds very old, but what it means is that it is the most recent and current geological times.

Returning from the meeting in Reno, we had a great drive back through Nevada and Utah, just much too fast. We found the site for Penstemon janushiae but saw only a few plants and one (?) seed pod. But with it were a lot of other marvelous cushion plants. It was hot and beautiful, white rock making everything blinding and almost imaginary. That basin and range land is just impossible to believe until you drive through it. We stopped many times, discovering new things all along the way. panayoti was very excited to find Phlox tumulosa. On the way through the Wah­Wah mountains we took a road, State Route 21, out of Garrison, Utah to Beaver, Utah; it said 75 miles with no services. We were happily collecting plants and rocks when two cars zoomed past and we realized they were the only ones we had seen in two hours! We climbed over the range just at dusk, a purple and apricot light suffusing the valley below. As we descended we saw a pickup pulled off on the side of the road with a broken water pump. The fellow refused a ride, however, becausehe wanted to go the other way. Said he had seen three cars in the last four hours. Another two miles down the road, to our horror and amazement, we saw the two cars which had whizzed by, one lying upside down in the ditch! The lady had "spaced out" on all the space and lost control of the car. Luckily she and her two kids were unharmed. The whole scene left a very unreal impression!

The next day we went over the Tushar Mountains of Utah in search of Penstemon tusharensis, formerly a subspecies of ~ caespitosus, now raised to species status by Noel Holmgren. It is not very common, and we were looking for it in the wrong places, but it found us aIltyway! On a roadcut, in­the subalpine zone, it appeared. It rooted easily

13

from cuttings and is growing happily for one of our local nursery men. We hope to have a good supply by next summer. Since it comes from higher and coolerplaces, it may be able to tolerate the moist climate of the East better than other Caespitosi.

We travelled so much last year, I was kind of overwhelmed by it all. It will probably take me years to digest it all. I am glad we will have a garden now, and perhaps I can concentrate a little more on growing. I must admit, searching for wild pents worthy of cultivation remains a joy and an adventure; I maybe addicted. .

TRIP TO YUMA, ARIZONA by

Betty Davenport

We left Pasco, Washington around 7:30 A.M. Tuesday, May 13, 1986, and headed south. Bob was driving a U-Haul truck pulling the Volkswagon; and I followed behind in the Ford. We were buffeted by a wind of around 30 mph and a dust storm. The wind was out of the north and I am sure the wind chill factor was below freezing. We headed south to Umatilla and then west to Pendleton; we started up Cabbage Hill and saw one of nature's shows. I have never seen it before in its blanket of yellow flowers. I noticed the Western Wallflower, Desert Parsley, Erigeron linerias, Sulfer Lupine, a cream Astragalus and Arrowhead Balsamroot. The hillside was dotted with blue patches of Brodiaea douglasis. As we neared the top the color gradually died out to be replaced with small patches of yellow alpine buttercups and Erythronium species. I do not believe I have ever seen these flowers With such a deep intense color.

Near Baker, Oregon we found more Balsamroot, Sulfur Lupine and Brodiaea in bloom. Throughout this portion of the trip we were treated to large patches of peppergrass in bloom. Occasionally, glimpses of other flowers would appear. Near Ontario I saw large numbers of Erigeron linerias

14

and a blue Penstemon in all its glory. Judging from the size of its flowers and growth pattern it was ~ specious or payettensis.

Leaving Mountain Home, Idaho I began to notice ·flora different from what we had been seeing. I noted a yellow daisy that was new to me. Climbing King's Hill near Bliss,Idaho, I noted a Penstemon just coming into bloom. It was about 12 to 16 inches high; leaves were grey-green; flower stalks reminded me of the way!:. specious grows. As dusk approached we came to the Snake River Canyon near Twin Falls and stopped to look at its splendor. We continued south and finally found a spot to camp out near Hollister, Idaho. After exercising the dogs, our sleeping bags felt great.

The cold awakened us early and by the time the dogs had a run and breakfast was over we were glad for the warmth of the cars. All of the sprinklers along the road were pristine white with ice. We crossed into the Nevada desert. It was not in bloom, but it didn't lack interest for, as the miles rolled by, the vegetation constantly changed from sagebrush to btittlebrush to rabbitbrush and to other flora that I didn't recognize. Always in the distance were mountains enticing one to explore them. Near Wells, Nevada,phlox in pink and white made an appearance; further south I noticed flashes of orange along the highway. At a rest stop we found plants of phlox, delphinium, Cal3tilleja species, orange mallow and a rose colored Astraglus species with intense colors as in Oregon.

At Wells, Bob realized that the U-Haul would not make it to the next town without additional gas, so I stayed there to buy a can of gas. This next leg of the journey went faster as I drove to catch up with Bob and I wasn't able to watch the flora as well. We stopped at the rest stop at Lake Valley Summit and there to my delight was a tiny Penstemon in bloom. The rosettes were no bigger than 3 inches across and the inflor~scence was abo u t 4 to 6 inc h e s hi g h • Flo w ex s w ex e approximately 1/2 inch long and blue. Leaves were entire and elongate and 1 to 2 inches long and 1/8

15

inch wide. In all a little gem! I had time to take photos a~ the bumper of the Volkswagon was loose and Bob was working on it. As of now I have not found species that I feel fit my little Penstemon.

Continuing southward we reached the mining town of Pioche at about 6:00 P.M. This town is built right in the mountains and the U-Haul needed gas again. As Bob could not maneuver it around the narrow blocks, I was again hauling gas to him.

We started up Oak Springs Summit; this portion was pretty and orange mallow covered the roadsides with its bloom. We got behind a couple of slow trucks going up the pass at 10 mph and I noticed along the roadside a new shrub type of a plant with last year's seed pods which were similar to a Penstemon. I started looking for a spot where I could safely pull off the road, when one of the trucks pulled off to allow traffic to pass, so I will never know whether it was a Penstemon.

As we crossed over the pass, the wind became warm and we saw Joshua trees for the first time; sagebrush had disappeared and new types of flora was starting to appear, much of it unknown to me. We began to look for a campsite or motel realizing that we would not make it to Las Vegas that evening. At Ash Springs we found a campsite and gladly stopped.

The next morning all around the area especially near the spring was a white flower that spread by runners. The lady at the cafe called it stink weed. The farther south we went the warmer it got and more and different desert plants appeared such as tamarisk, smoke tree, skeleton weed, greasewood, Joshua trees, various kinds of Yucca, and of course, the cholla.

At Las Vegas we stopped at the U-Haul dealer as the towing bar was still giving us problems. There I called my sister in Yuma and apparently left my address book in the phone booth. We then traveled into the extreme eastern part of California, passing through the Mojave desert and the farm lands of the Imperial Valley, seeing

16

cotton in the fields. At the Arizona checkpoint, I passed through without any problem and then pulled off to wait to see whether my plants I brought with me in the U-Haul would pass; all made it. We arrived at my nephew's about 7:00 P.M.

Needless to say, I did not leave all my plants behind; I brought just a few with me: my Siberian iris, martagon lilies and some of my natives including several of my Penstemons. The Penstemons, as usual, are doing the best of any. The Scharf's hybrids are doing poorly; however I just pulled up rosettes without many roots so it is not too surprising that they are not doing well. One I feel is mislabeled. It is a low-growing blue-green entire leaf, shrub type which has continued with its bloom. Buds opened yellow and the plant reminds me of ~ parvulus rather than a Dasanthera as I have it labeled. P. confertus continues to bloom. ~ pennellianus looks like it will set seed. Bruce Meyer's cross humilis x serrulatus looks good. My tiny unknown seedling that appeared in my garden is going to bloom. The Aquilegia have shown the most heat damage; all have put out new growth.

We have not yet found any Penstemons in Arizona, but the bird life and desert plants are inviting us to learn about them. I have added several birds to my lifetime list already. The hummingbirds are a delight to watch, but most appear to be females and immature birds so we are not sure of the species. We have seen at least two because of the size of the birds. The mockingbird is intriguing to watch. Small lizards make their home on the adobe walls. A small pearl grey bird, just larger than a sparrow that shows russet wings as it flies has turned out to be the Inca dove.

LODEWICK TRIPS

Our big trip this year was to the APS and ARGS meetings in Colorado the end of June. We spent two days beforehand near Denver with a niece who has a beautiful small rock garden (with Penstemons)

17

designed by Gwen Kelaidis. The APS meeting (in the foothills at 5000 feet) and the Alpines 86 conference (at Boulder and on up from 5000 to 13,000 feet) are told about elsewhere in the Bulletin. The conference was planned to let people get acclimated, with the highest trips last. Becau.se of that, and the extra liquids and snacks the guides gave all of us, we found t.he elevation was no trouble. (Robin climbed Long's Peak £ifty years ago, without noticing ~ single flower except blue columbine; she's especially grat.eful to have seen the alpine gardens now.) The only problem was that everyone was so busy seeing things there wasn't enough time to talk to friends.

Earlier in May we had gone to Ashland, Oregon for playgoing, and spent a morning in Ramona Osburn's rocky hillside garden trying to identify Penstemons. On a later trip, we spent a day with her in the Siskiyo~s, driving up a rocky forest road past Mt. Ashland and Dutchman's Peak to see displays of late summer flo.wers, including P. davidsonii, parvu.lus, heterophyllus, an unidentified pent, and EpilobiuDl cordifolium which is like a rock rose. Ramona and her' friends brought Josef Halda of Czechoslovakia west with them from Alpines 86. She told us that he designed and built a rock garden for one of her friends while he was in Oregon.

Las t summer was qui te dry in Oregon, especially east of the Case,ades. We found seeds in short supply on a collecting trip in early September. Where flower stalks had formed, most of them had been bitten off eithel". by deer or golden­mantled ground squirrels. A week late~, an afternoon drive took us to Eagles Rest. a 3000-foot hill where Penstemon rattanii grows in rock outcroppings. It used to show along the road cuts but they are now ove.J'grown. We found enough seed to plant in our own garden, and hope to provide some later fol" the seed excha,ge~.

Sunset Magaz:f.;n.e (~ot:thwest edition, aV~itilable only in the west) carried an ~rticle in July: on Mary's Peak, which i.s just Qut of Corvallis, some

18

45.miles north and west of here. We finally went there, after intending to for 20 years. The 4000-foot summit is alpine-looking, .. ith P. cardwellii, which usually grows in the Cascades, -not the Coast Range. Lower down, between 3000 and 3500 feet, the road is lined with P. rattanii.

PE~STEMON AS CUT FLOWERS by

Dale T. Lindgren University of Nebraska, North Platte Station

Penstemon are usually thought of as a plant to be used for enjoyment in the home landscape or as a genus of plant that is part of the natural ecological system. However, it is generally not considered for use as a cut flower, although most Penstemon enthusiasts have used them for this purpose at one time or another. There are many species of Penstemon which morphologically would not be adapted to cut flower conditions. However, with the large .number of species of Penstemon, .some would probably be suitable for cut flowers.

In 1982, a non-replicated experiment evaluating nine species and one named hybrid of Pen,stemon was conducted to see how these compared to each other in regard to cut flower keeping quality. Table 1 lists the entries. Each species was placed in di.stilled .wa'ter or distilled water with the preservative "floral.1fe" added. Parameters measured were v:ase life (in days) and total water uptake. There was an unequal number of flower stalks per container, so liquid uptake was adjusted to a per stalk uptake. The results are summarized in Table Ion. page 21.

The vase life was longer when the cut flowers were placed in the water that contained Floralife. On the average, this was three days. The two species that lasted lQngestwere !!. digitalis and !:.. procerus. In all cases" more water ~as taken up wit.h the Floralife treatment. In most cases, the water uptake per stalk was doubled when t·he Ji'lor.alife treatment was c.ompared to the water

19

treatment. The species with larger stems tended to take up more water.

It appears that some species of Penstemon have more potential for cut flowers than others. With further research on floral preservatives and environmental conditions, Penstemon might find a limited market in the cut flower industry. Genetic variability within species and between species should also be evaluated and utilized to extend the vase life of Penstemon for use as cut flowers.

GARDEN REPORTS

CARL AMASON, Calion, AR, May 1986

All the truly early spring flowers have bloomed, but so far there hasn't been a drought, but we need rain. The nights are still cool, meaning the lows get down to 65 deg. F to 70 deg. F, but the days are getting close to 90 deg. F or above. The early spring greenness is still evident, but the countryside is getting weedy in appearance except where wildflowers are blooming. In places the wildflowers are beautiful with a background of green with mostly white, gdlden yellow, and lavender colors prevailing. Red, blue, purple and light yellow are fairly uncommon or rare.

Blooming now are truly wonderful colonies of white ~ digitalis among yellow Coriopsis and lavender Prunella. There have been some nice light lavender ~ laxiflorus blooming but their time has come and gone.

In my unfinished "rock garden", I have finally raised and grown from seed ~ murrayannus. Only after putting some lime in some sandy soil, which I toted in, has it bloomed and it is blooming now. I have never succeeded with P. cobaea. But I have a beautiful display of P. arkansanus, P. laxiflorus (all gone), P. tubaefTorus, P. tenuTa, with one beautiful plant of P. dissectusand P. smal1ii yet to bloom. I have failed with-al1 western Penstemons, but so did I with all the others until I let them come up where they wanted to be growing.

20

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ERMA PILZ, Albuquerque, NM, April 1986

Here at home in Albuquerque the Penstemons are growing. I would like to get ~ brandegei replaced--I miss its lavish and showy bloom. Fendleri is sending up blooming stalks, but as yet no bloom. One!!.. palmeri plant is growing well, but my other one has perished. P. tubaeflorus bloomed skimpily last year, buti~ too has perished; it has never flourished in my yard at all. P. richardsonii looks fairly healthy and may bloom Tater.

The several plants of Proceri (rydbergia and aggregatus) seem happy. I must again root out virens which eagerly makes a ground cover here but never blooms. I have one !!.. superbus plant which was given to me by Ted Hodoba, but it barely remains here in my soil near the mountains while it flourishes in his sandy soil in the valley. (Ted also lives in Albuquerque) It is a plant which flourishes in more southerly areas.

P. teucrioides is still with me, but P. crandallii bloomed heavily last year and completely disappeared. In this area it must be treated as a definite biennial

!!.. glandulosus is growing; strictus is of course doing well and I look forward to seeing an acre of it in bloom in May at the ranch of a friend who is growing it for seed. He is, of course, in touch with the Utah man who is seeking seed. This whole harvest of seed from this past year was sold to Santa Barbara, CA for road work, I believe. P. pinifolius is also thriving here. Many pents gro;r better in the warmer, less shaded areas of the valley microclimat~s than they do in my yard.

A lovely plant of ~ heterophyllus will bloom; I have it planted in a mixture of loam and volcanic sand. I have two plants of it that I bought from the nursery, Plants of the Southwest in Santa Fe. I question the one labeled P. azure us for it lacks the deep blue-green leaf oflthose I saw in Nevada. The other plant was an unknown pent, an.d although it is pretty, I have not recognized its identity--

22

r

it too must have come from either California or the Northwest area.

!!.. alamosensis bloomed w.ell last year, but has not appeared this year. I suspect it needs a warmer, sandier environment. Many I have grown just for the sake of learning what it looks like have bloomed just one year and then perished. Some have been out of their environment, others, and I like Panayoti's remark, are definately pioneer plants and my garden has· nothing to offer them except soil long inhabited by m~ny pents and so has many funguses and bacteria they probably do not like as well as being exhausted of some of their unknown mineral needs.

!!.. pseudospectablis looks healthy. Since it is found in the cooler mountain areas it is not surprising it is doing well .here.

HOWARD McCREADY. Red Bluff, CA, Oct 1986

On December 26 last year I planted seeds of a number of Penstemon described in Identifier Part IV which includes species on the Southwest and Mexico. This seed was from a commercial source and the resultant seedlings have done well this year.

!!.. baccharifolius I have wanted to obtain for a long time as. a beautiful painting of it and a few other Penstelllons is in a book I have entitled, Wild Flowers of the World , by Barbara Everard and Brian D. Morley,-and which is.a Sitt from my daughter. Also, the foliage is simillir to that of Baccharis, a native California shrub that is common in California gardens. My. seedlings of this pent have don~ well and show a bright. promis.e for the future.

~ discolor in gro~th is quit~ like ~ ambiguus with many thin decumbent stems and tiny leaves. It too appears at home here.

P.havard;li has progressed much faster than the others both in rampant growth and the fact that one plant bloomed.

23

~ clutii is a most attractive species having made small sturdy bushes this first year. Perhaps the fact that they are growing where the sand and gravel is thinner and are able to root into the better soil below accounts for their superior appearance.

A species I'm looking forward to with great expectations is P. secundiflorus. These plants stayed quite smal~compared to some of the others and that is probably a good sign for a long life.

In the past I have planted most of my seeds either in the raised beds (30" high) under the clear fiberglass roof of the plant house or in pots and pans, but I made a departure from those proceedings by filling many plant cans with old sandy gravel topped off with clean grit and potting soil, thus eliminating possible weed contamination. These were placed outdoors in full sun and, after seeding and labeling, were covered with hardware cloth for protection from animals. Then the rains came almost steadily for weeks and so did the seedlings.

The only sour note to this story is that many Columbine (Aquilegia) seedlings came up along with the Penstemons and, as they grew very fast, presented problems. Somebody at the seed source was a little careless. Anyway, now we have, I hope, some new Columbines of worth and many new Penstemons, some I'm sure different from those ordered and also new additions.

VIVIENNE HAROLD, Newport, OR, April 1986

Watering with Rapid-Gro solution seems to have snapped the pents out of their slump from neglec t last summer. ~ newberryi ~ berryi is blooming lightly, acuminatus is well budded, and the various Meyers hybrids have put on nice new growth, but there are no buds yet. P. richardsonii is always late. Some of last year'S-seedlings are budded and the ones I purchased from Lambs are also budded.

I put seeds in a small dish of water and place the dish in the top section of my freezer. I

24

,.

remove the dish occasionaly and let the seeds thaw; I then place them back in the freezer. After going through this procedure a number of times, I place the dish upside down on the potting container and let the mixture thaw, depositing the seeds in the mixture without having to handle the seeds. I get good results.

'Ruby King' is one of my favorites for it blooms so well and is easy to propagate from cuttings.

SEPTEMBER, 1986

I grew barbatus from APS seeds, but it was not happy and did not do well until I put it into a frame with a clear glass cover which raised the temperature above 60-deg; it then bloomed beautifully.

IZETTA KENTON, Snoqualmie, WA, April 1986

Most of my pents are showing color and I have only one plant showing burn. I'm anxious to see them bloom to see what I have in the pinks. I t is odd about pents; I bring them home or raise them from cuttings and take such pains with them. My daughter, who is no gardener, brings rupicola and its hybrids home along with ~ davidsonii and just tucks them into her rock wall and they grow and bloom like mad. I do not have the same results. Could it be the rock wall that does it?

The cuttings I rooted and placed in the trough look lovely this spring and are heavily budded with no sign of die-back or winter burn. I think the cover I place over them during the winter keeps them looking too good. I will start taking cuttings next month as they bloom.

I must go up toward the summit of the mountains in May to see if I can find some new shades of true blue in the swarms of P. davidsonii v. menziesii that grow in the rocks. It has been a long time since I have looked for the blues there. Most of mine are more purple than blue.

25

(A few days later) The pents I raised from cuttings are blooming in such lovely shades of purple. These are rupicola hybrids and some are looser growing than others. The foliage is also varied in shades of gray and gray-green. The old plan t of rupicola al ba is blooming nicely and has several stems that will make nice cuttings later.

JUNE. 1986

We went to Gold Beach last month and caught the Iris at their peak. The only ones I collected were a few of the Iron Mountain strain which grow only inches high. I did not get to make any crosses with these, but next year I will do a lot of crosses. I wonder what would produce a green and chartreuse colored bloom with a black signal patch. A person can dream can't one!

We went to Cabin Creek last Sunday, where lots of Penstemons grow, to take a few cuttings. We were back there two weeks ago to check on them. The weather had been so warm mos t of the hundreds of plants were through blooming. I did get a few rupicola straight cuttings which are now rooting in the large jar where I do all my cuttings.

I moved some of the rooted cuttings Birdie (Padavich) brought to me last year out to the rock garden--such lovely shades of pink and deep rose colors and some plum-purple colors. These had tremendous roots and have settled in and are looking fine. I will put the new rooted cuttings into another trough to grow more.

AUGUST. 1986

The Penstemon plants I moved out of the troughs into permanent beds are doing fine, but the cuttings I put in .did not do too well. I can't unders tand why as I used the same procedure, the same medium and the same container I have always used. The rupicola alba rooted better than the pinks did. I also did not get any germination from the seeds I got from the seed exchange. I will set the pots outside this fall and see if some will come up next spring.

26

, )

1

i

BIRDIE PADAVICH. North Bend, Washington, March. 1986

I-saw lots of Penstemon this winter in the different parts of Arizona and California. I do not grow those species here in North Bend for it is just too wet. The leaves turn yellow and spot, then rot at the ground level.

My "shrubbies" are in a sad condition this spring but are still alive for I can see new growth coming out along the stems. .Their foliage is fine, firm and dry. We had one week of cold and freezing weather, some nights down to five above zero with an east wind. Earth was bare and the ground froze six inches deep. I feel I am lucky to have so little winter kill.

We were late getting home this spring. We went to Sedonia and Flagstaff Arizona where it was cool, and we stayed longer than planned for it had been so hot in Southern California and Arizona all winter we were glad to cool off. We did find two dwarf Penstemons along Cottenwood Canyon. Many tall Penstemons showed along the roadside, but the road had few turn-outs so we could not stop.

Flagstaff has grown and spread out so much that I could not find the area where I collected P. linarioides compactifolius years ago.

MAY. 1986

If it ever stops raining I will have quite a few Penstemons in bloom, all shrubbies. In my shady rock garden that's all that will grow.

I brought home some of the Arizona Penstemons this spring. One has a long, thin strap-leaf which is dark red. It looks interesting and I hope it blooms. I have a gray leaf one from the Columbia Gorge with deep majenta flowers. It grows about six inches high but flops.

Some of the P. davidsonii v. menziesii hybrids that I thought were dead have new leaves showing along the stems. So far none of the white P. fruticosus cuttings from two years ago show any

27

buds. I have a pot of Penstemon cuttings that I have no idea where they came from. It has light lacy leaves with pale lavender-blue buds. There is no label in the pot, and I must have potted them late in the fall as there was a plastic bag over the pot all winter. I never leave a plastic bag on once they are rooted. It could have been something I found in the Big Horns in Wyoming last fall.

I often freeze Penstemon seed in its envelop by opening the top, pouring it full of water, setting it in a container and filling the container full of water. I then put the whole thing in the freezer. When I plant I just lay the envelop on the soil and let it thaw out. Usually the seed goes with the water on top of the soil. I never cover my seeds. I just put a pane of glass over the pot until germination starts.

I love the 'Blue Bedder' Penstemon, but it never stays with me more than a y.ear. We have too much shade and damp weather.

.J1JRE, 1986

The temperature went from 90 yesterday to 50 this morning; no wonder the plants can't decide to bloom.

The Mexican crosses are blooming like mad. Some are pink with spotted throats and pale green foliage. I liked the ones we had up at our cabin best; they were a deep red with soft white throats. They lived for years up there; the cold weather never bothered them. I guess a pocket gopher finally ate them.

AUGUST, 1986

I had a red Penstemon bloom from the plants collected near Flafstaff when we were going through Cottonwood Canyon from Sedonia. Some of the plants died and others have shown no bloom. I do not think they.are P. barbatus for as I remember it around Bryce Thompson Memorial Park in southern Arizonia, it was a much branched plant with eight

28

or more stalks. The flowers were larger and not as narrow as the red one I found.

I like the tiny dwarf P. l:!narioides compactifolius found around Flagstaff, Arizona. There is a gray form and also a green form; both have deep blue flowers. I searched for hours last March trying to find them, but I was looking on the wrong side of Flagstaff.

Some of the Bruce Meyers' hybrids bloomed that were lovely. They lasted a week as cut flowers. I have a pot of white rupicolil cuttings that I believe are all rooted. I wish I could find the P. davidsoni:! v menzeisii alba but no one seems to grow it any more. I am sorry to report that I have no seeds for the seed exchange this year.

NOVEMBER, 1986

In September we went to the Scandanavia countries of Sweden, Norway, . Denmark, Finland, and Lapland. Lapland was a joy with, eolorful hills and byways. Reindeer browsed the mossy hills. White birch seemed to be the only tall trees. There seemed to be three sizes of birch; one about three to four feet, taller ones perhaps eight to ten feet and then a ground cover, all so colorful. Moss covered the rocks and hillsides with all kinds of vines and small shr.ubs here and there. Reindeer herders in native dres.s were seen in the s~all villiages. They were prepari~ to collect reindeer for the annual roundup, branding the new colts, sorting out the ones to sell and getting ready to take them home for the winter which is over four months of darkness.

Electric power is purchased from Russia so the houses are heated with electric power. At times we were only a few miles from the Russian border. Lots of Russians travel in Lapla~d

I was given a plant of rupicola alba; the old plant does not look too good. I now have four cuttings that look as though they are growing.

I found one new Penstemon this spring while hunting Lewisias above Wenatchee, WA. I have

29

rooted cuttings which I have just set out. The plants had gentian-blue flowers with gray foUage and were only about three inches tall. I could not find any seedlings, just old stubby plants from which I took the cuttings.

ELIZABETH leCount, Santa Monica, CA, February, 1986

In some of my correspondence I have somehow given theimplffession that I was 100% successful with the "scarify--soak in weak clorox solution-­place on bottom heat" procedure. It is true that P. azureus and 'Blue Bedder' survived and produced Cuttings for me, but these two are California natives and would have sprouted in spite of me and the weather.

The truth is that of the seed I obtained from Bette Peterson last year, only!!.. whippleanus is flourshing. It has such lovely dense clumps of dark leaves I may be able to coax it along the driveway by taking slips now and then.

My own propertYr however, is not my real concern with Penstemon. The Theodore Payne Foundation is! I must hasten my pace because I am reminded from time to time by certain aches and forgetfulness that I will not be able to make the long trip weekly t'O the Foundation too much longer. My goal is to establish groups of sative Penstemons which will be self-sustaining. F'Or this project I find that slips (cuttings) are better than seeds. With the erosion which occurs here (we had the first drenching storm last night) much of the seed is washed away, and logic tells me many a Pacific island is blooming like crazy with the seed I sowed in January in the sun valley canyon.

In the area assigned tome there are small groups of !!.. heterophyllus .!!.. purdy, 'Sour Grapes', 'Ruby King', P. ternatus,P. centranthifolius, and !=.. campanulatus. TheonesI have established have not as yet bloomed, but I am pleased with this beginning and the interest shown in my effort

30

,.

~

HARCH, 1986

Yesterday was a beautiful day at the Payne Foundation. The wildflowers did their best, popping up here and there allover the 23 acres, giving a lovely demonstration. Yes, my small contributlon, my beginnings were there--'Ruby King', and 'Blue Bedder' the only two in bloom. But next year-----! It is true that 'Ruby King' is considered a Mexican variety, but I feel that those dotted lines on the map were made by geologists and frequently are not: respected by blO'Oming plants.

The most glorious color was not by way of Poppies this time, but by the several specimens of Fremontia, a magical and lovely tree.

MEMORIAL DAY, 1986

My thoughts are not on the past or even on the present, but on the future because of the cuttings busily wiggling their roots down at the Payne Foundation project. Something named ~ confertus, after a whole year of Bulking, is emerging as a sturdy young plant (seed from Betty~ and will bloom this year J I th;J.nk, if I stare at it enough.

Will somebody please comment on the variety, 'Sour Grapes'. I can't find anything about it in the literature, but it is taking to the wilderness like,a bird se~ free.

Isn't it ~trange that our problems are at either end of the pole! Most of you have too much water, and my land is already parched at the end of May.

JULY, 1986

I went to the meetings in Denver and Boulder to soak up information about the P~mstemon world, to see this genus growing as a native in the wilderness, as well as being used in planted garden spots.

The first day, Penstemon day, began with a trip to the delightful home of Mr. and Mrs Robert

31

Heapes where an alpine garden has been established on his extensive acreage (11 acres) in Parker County south of Denver. Panayoti Kelaides and Robert Heapes conducted walking tours over the rocks, through the pines, and into the barrancas. Sure enough, ~ virens, the most at home Penstemon, waited there among ~ caespitosum, beautious blu'e and cream Columbine, and the little yellow wall flowers. Notable was the fact that Cactus appeared among this arrangement, growing happily also among the Lupines and miniature Dianthus. I had always seen it prevailing in the desert where nothing else would dare to show its head. Large outcroppings of f=.. gracilis near the end of their blooming period were also present. The whole thing presented the kind of si tuation I am hoping to establish at the Payne Foundation, using California natives, of course, instead of Colorado ones--'Blue Bedder' instead of virens etc.

Mr. Heapes had provided flats and flats of small specimens of his varieties for selection and purchase during the lunch hour, so there was the usual scramble and shrieks of joy as the eager beavers moved in upon them. Mrs. Heapes had provided a beautiful layout of sandwiches and goodies.

Upon returning to Denver, Panayoti Kelaides took us through the various sections of the Denver Botanic Gardens, and also conducted the meeting of the APS in which Mr. Yingling emphasized the need for more input on the specifics of Penstemon growing in the Bulletin, and less on just "chit chat". (Specific information on the performance of Penstemons in gardens across the country rather than just a listing of Penstemons being grown).

All attending were asked to contribute suggestions which they did, including mine, stating I could not read the Bullet in because of the printing.

SEPTEMBER, 1986

I came upon ~ barbatus which I had planted by

32

way of a rooted cutting, and it was in full bloom, even in that harsh environment. I noted it did have the protection of a Ceanothus which diminished the glare. I also took note of my own ignorance for I had also put this variety in my own garden in Santa Monica where it is alive and that is all.

RACHEL SNYDER, Prairie Village, KS, May 1986

The past weekend the Penstemons have been at their prime at the farm--that would make it about the third week of May, and on average that is about when we usually hit it. Because of strange kinks in the weather this year earlier, they all came on and bloomed about the same time. The cobaea hybrids and tubaeflorus are the last to open. They will probably last for about another week.

The prettiest things I had were James Taylor's "best purples" and "spreading pink x short purple" which he gave me in 1984. They are finally forming nice clumps and making a good show. They would all be classed as short, not over 18", and the "spreading pink" group are quite low, under 10". They flower around the stem on the order of the Hyacinth type. The "b~st purples" are stout stemmed with blooms all on!one side.

'Prairie Dusk' was gorgeous and has made a nice clump. Some of the P. strictus bought at Denver in 1985 bloomed,~ut they have had a struggle. Taylor's oklahomensis hybrids, also given me in 1984, have survived well, but they are sprangly plants with off-white smallish flowers, and not really very pretty.

Only one plant of murrayanus survived the winter, and one of the 'Husum Hills'--but the latter is in bad shape and not blooming. It was not a good year for f=.. grandiflorus somehow, but there were about ten plants blooming, all in lavender-purple shades. Last year I had some bright pinks. The 'Henry' hybrids, with large lilac blooms, set out in 1984 have done especially well.

33

I had quite a little cluster, perhaps five plants, ofP. diffusus planted in 1984, and every one of them:Ls dead. Last winter was rough on lots of plants in this area. It was open with fluctuating temperatures from about New Years on; and a sharp freeze in early December also seemed to catch a lot of things in over-succulent condition. Many people have lost half their roses. I counted 31 dead roses in our F&G demonstration garden at work.

To finish up my Penstemon report, the two plants of tubaeflorus have survived and bloomed; but ~ pinifoliusdied. I have a huge show of volunteer hirsutus in the pink-lavender range, and many of the taller ~ brevisepalus hybrids in rosey to soft pink (I think that's what they are, al though the label is long since gone). These darken in color as blooms age, and I rather like them. Then there is a good show this year in P. digitalis, both from my 'White Queen' and froIil" Verla's 'Husker Red' with the striking reddish stems and foliage. A number of volunteers have sprung up from the latter, due to my neglect in yanking them out, and they vary in stem/foliage redness but some are as strongly red as the original.

Anyway, all in all it has been a good year in my Penstemon patch, and makes me glad to be growing them. Culturally my biggest problem has been the moles that tunnel around under the clumps and practically undercut them. Someone wrote in to us that straight Clorox or bleach poured into the run openings would drive moles out. I poured in about half a jug and cannot see that it made any difference. I was fearful it might kill plants, but do not see any damage. Every weekend I go over the patch and "step" the plants back down to press them into the soil below and try to drive some of the air out of the mole runs. I really hate to resort to poisons because of all the wildlife out there, especially the hawks that I am afraid might get a poisoned mole.

As I knew I was going to be gone nearly all of

34

~

April on the China trip, I did not start a lot of penstemon seeds this spring, but have three flats on the back porch with a few tiny plants in them-­self-saved seeds.

The China trip was mind boggling. We visited botanical gardens everywhere we went, and in Lushan had a chance to botanize in the wild mountains. It is a strange experience to see hostas and daylilies growing in the wild; all sorts of shrubs that we associate with our gardens (such as spiraeas and kerrias); magnolias, cherries, and pears blooming in the wilderness and pyracanthas of several species all around. This is only a sampling but gives the idea. However, nowhere did I see a single Penstemon. I doubt that they know them at all. Their botanical gardens are all relatively ne.w, having been started since the Communist revolution; but they are surprisingly well done, mostly labeled in Latin as well as Chinese.

MARK McDONOUGH, Bellevue, WA, May 1986

(Since this report was written, Mark has moved back to Massachusetts where he has a new job)

Spring is here, yet a cold and rainy one, yielding mixed results in the garden. It has been particularly bad for some of the Pens·temons, "puffing up" with the abundant rain and "collapsing" because the growth is too flimsy. Certain species such as nitidus, grahamii, caespitosus, linariodes ~ coloradoensis, parvulus, and duestus seem the worst off and require restarting from cuttings taken from healthy shoots.

In bloom now is a large clump of P. duestus flopping allover the place, with patches that collapse and die off. Yet it seems strong enough to provide lots of cuttings and lots of the little creamy white flowers.

Some other species have done exceedingly well. In a trough the tiny ~ aridus has electric blue

35

flowers on 4-6" stems. Even tinier was P. uintahensis from the Uinta Mountains of Utah. It is a tiny rosette of basal leaves and 1" high flowered clusters of bright blue. A tremendous show was put on by P. teucrioides, a form collected by Panayoti Kelaidis in Colorado. It makes mats of needle-like leaves, and was, and still is, covered with brilliant blue, stemless flowers. It is the most v~gorous growing and free-flowering of the Ericopsis Penstemons for the climate.

Also notable is the creamy white form of ~ procerus ~ tolmiei that I found near Mt. Rainier, and is named 'Nisqually Cream'. It is a good bloomer with charming clusters of creamy white flowers on stems that are prostrate or stand up only 3-4".

Nearby, I grew a blood-red form of P. newberryi which is truly outstanding for the purity of the red flowers and the vigorous dense growth. This form should be used in a Dasanthera breeding program to produce some potentially interesting, deep colored plants.

From Scotland, Drake's, seeds of Penstemon 'Pink Dragon' are offered. A gardener, primarily a Rhododendron grower in Enumclaw, WA, grew a bunch of plants from seeds, and I took cuttings from some of the best forms. They are all truly superior-­dense s tr'ong growth and masses of flowers in various shades of pink--the best being light yet glowing pink. They appear to be ~ rupicola hybrids.

JAMES TAYLOR, Hutchinson, Kansas, August, 1986

I wish I had a lot to report regarding my efforts at breeding Penstemons but I do not. I made a cross several years ago between a yellow flowering ~ barbatus with a cream colored hybrid of uncertain origin. The offspring of this cross had pink flowers. I saved seed from these and planted them. A small percentage of the plants from this cross had the yellow flowers that I was

36

looking for. I have been rather pleased with these plants. My goal was to produce a Penstemon that had yellow flowers of the yellow barbatus while retaining the plant habit and f lower form of the more typical Penstemon hybrids. The plant that I have produced is not exactly what I wanted, but it is showing a lot of progress •. The plant is much shorter than the typical barbatus, and the flowers are more of a spike rather than the panicle which is typical of barbatus.

The flowers do face outward better than what is the case with barbatus, and the flower is less tubular, but it still has the sharkhead shape that is typical of crosses involving barbatus.

Dale Lindgren visi ted Hutchinson this summer and I was able to show him photographs and the plants. He thought they showed some progress and took seeds to work with at North Platte.

I enjoyed the Denver meeting. One of the great opportunities at the meeting was that quite a large variety of Penstemon plants were offered to members at a very reasonable price. I bought fifteen plants most of which I had never heard of before. Next year I will find out what a lot of new Penstemons look like. The following is a list of the species that t bought: P. whippleanus, glandulosus, rubicundus, teucrioides, laetus v. roezlii,leonardii, watsonii, subglaber, fruticosus scouleri, pennellianus, and mensarium.

I often have trouble transplanting Penstemon after hot weather has arrived sol did not know how much luck I would have with the plantS I bought. The weather cooperated and they have done well. I have lost only one, P. watsonii and have two that do not seem to like the Kansas climate. They are P. rubicundus and P. teucrioides. This summer has been exceptionalfYhumid, and we have had more rainfall than normal. Most of them are looking good right now, far better than I would normally expect for this time of year.

37

GEORGE YINGLING. Dayton, Ohio

Our busy travel schedule last year limited my Penstemon growing activity, but the Penstemon at Cox Arboretum where I do volunteer work put on a nice show at an opportune time. Our Spring Festival at Cox takes place the week-end after Mother's Day at which time we sell plants that the volunteers have been growing. These are mostly perennials that are not available in the garden stores. We also sell wildflowers during a weekend prior to the Festival. We grossed over $25,000 for both sales. I sold over $500.00 worth of Penstemons that I had grown from seeds. This was helped by the fact that my Penstemon display patch was in full bloom. I sell only those Penstemons types that have been grown for several years here.

Penstemons sold during the Festival were hirsutus, strictus, grandiflorus in several different colors, pinifolius, fruticosus, virens, digitalis, calycosus, 'Utah State' and Hyacinth flowered types. I could have sold additional plants if more had been potted. As it was, I dug a few out of the garden.

At Cox all of my pents are grown in gravel mixed with some dirt and leaf mold. The general nature of the soil in this area is neutral to alkaline. We average nearly 40" of rain each year. Those I recall in best bloom were:

hirsutus - Most of these were a good purple with some having a hint of pink in the bloom. One plant had over 100 blooming stems.

hirsutus pygmaeus - Many self-sown plants in the rock garden, some a pale lavender, some purple and some with pink mixed in the bloom.

digitalis - A native here with acres of them in the wild at the Arboretum. Some were a pure white but some had purple in the tube that was not attractive. This species is very hardy.

grandiflorus - I had deep purple, light lavender, pink, red, burgandy and white varieties. Hybrids were obviously among them.

38

~

barbatus - Color varied from brilliant red to pink, but they need staking because of all the rain. Several plants are three years old.

strictus - Hardy here and some of the plants have considerable blue in the flowers. None of the flowers are a uniform color but may be blue in the limb (face) varying to purple in the throat and tube.

cobaea - These had large white and purple flowers with purple guidelines in the tube. They may not live until next year.

cardewellii - This species is the easiest shrubbie to grow here. One clump in partial shade is 3' in diameter and blooms well each year. The clump is at least five years old. Another clump in full sun has not done well. Partial

'sun and good drainage seem essential. fruticosus v. serratus 'Holly' - Also growing well

here, ~d several plants are at least three years old.

'Mesa' - These plants grown from seeds are tall and have beautiful pink flowers similar in shape to barbatus but larger. They remind me of 'Flathead Lake' types as I remember them. They bloomed late and were blooming until heavy frost stopped them in November.

'Utah State' - These resemble strictus in many respects and do well in gravel and garden soil. They are a reliable grower here.

pinifolius - Our one plant was damaged several years ago but is slowly recovering. It bloomed a bit this year and is a "cutie". I have seen large clumps growing for Dale Lindgren at North Platte, NB, and there are very large areas blooming beautifully at Denver Botanic Gardens. A nurseryman in Denver states that better plants come from seeds than from cuttings.

I lost most of my seed crop from "mower blight" when a teenager we hired for the summer at Cox mowed through one of my Penstemon patches The plants seemed to like the treatment for they grew beautifully afterwards.

39

It has been necessary for me to move my Penstemons from behind the rock garden to another location. The seed heads, which I save for seeds for the S~ed Exchange, are unsightly behind the rock garden. I have moved them to a holding bed at another location. This bed is filled with 18" of pi t-run-gravEd consisting of sand, gravel of various sizes and stones that are fist-size. The bedisaboveground and conta:l.ned.byrailroad ties. Some leaf mold was mixed in the gravel, but no soil has been added. Most of thepenstemons are doing better in this bed than in the o~her beds which were composed of gravel and soil with some leaf mold.

I have three plants that are labeled rupicola hybrids but do not resemble rupicolafoliage. I have shown a print to Panayoti and Mark McDonough but they cannot identify it yet. It has not bloomed for two years but may bloom in its new location.

REPORT OF THE REGISTRAR.

Plants under consideration for registration: 'Lavender Ice'- Strong growing, floriferous, pale

lavender/white P. fruticosus. 'Entiat Pink'-Good Strong grower, not floriferous,

light pink, p.fruticosus. 'Lexington'- ve ry strong, lar ge flowered &

floriferous P. davidsonii v menziesii. 'Brokentop Mountain'- Siskiyou Rare plant Nursery

selection. Superb brilliant purple-colored form, strong grower, very good. P. davidsonii v menziesii.

'Roseus,' - Siskiyou selection, good. deep rose, P. cardwellii. -

'Diamond Lake'- Siskiyou selection, strong grower, flowers typical, ~ rupicola.

'Myrtle'- Commemorates Myrtle Hebert. Her selection of a tiny, congested form, deep carmen flowers, superb, .~ rupicola.

'Nisqually Cream'- ~ procerus ~ tolmei

Mark McDonough, Registrar

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TO BED WITH SAND OR PEBBLE? by

Edward S. Godleski

My first encounter with a Penstemon was on my first visit out west. Being reared in New Jersey and now living in Ohio, I had not comeacrQSS Penstemons in any gardens. While descending a trail to one of the cliff houses in Mesa Verde, I noticed a single-stalked plant with bright red flowers. There were a few seed pods remaining from, the previous season and so I collected my first Penstemon seeds. They grew for me the first season, bloomed the next season and died the following season. At that time, I attributed this to something I had or had not done. Of course, now I know that it was the normal reaction of Penstemons to civilizat~gn. But no matter, I was hooked. I had to grow Penstemons in the damp, wet climate of Cleveland.

My garden is on the first rise of the Appalachian Mountains out of the central plains, in view of Lake Erie. Springs are cold and wet, falls are cold and wet, and summers are hot and damp. The sun only shines in the summer (the Lake effect). Needless to say, I was having trouble growing Penstemons, but now that I think back, I was also having my share of beginner's luck.

I started my collection with some low growing Penstemons from, Siskiyou Nursery in Oregon but soon discovered the American Penstemon Society and its seed list. Now I could really get some interesting Penstemons, but I would also have to rely upon more than beginner's luck to get them to last beyond the usual two seasons.

I read all I could find about Penstemon culture and tried to relate this information to my particular microenvironment. Lots of rain ip early spring and la.te fall is. the big problem.. I also sti.pulate that no plant in my garden gets special treatment such as a pane of glass for an umbrella. They will all have to take the elements as nature sends them.

41

But the moisture, that would be the problem. Last year it rained every single day but one during the month of November. This year it rained nearly every day from September 15 to October 15 and then all of November. March and April are not much better. Well, if I cannot keep the plants dry, perhaps I can prevent them from drowning.

Early this spring I set aside an area for my Penstemon bed--good sun, some protection from wind. Enough sand was roto-tilled in to raise the bed several inches. The overall composition is mainly sand. Half way back along the length of the bed I laid railroad ties and filled the area with '8 pebble gravel. I would have used pea gravel but no one seemed to know what that was and the local stone store did have lots of '8.

My plan was to see which soil the Penstemons like best. I started seedlings inside in March from seeds of the APS seed exchange and a few from the American Rock Garden Society seed exchange. I planted the seedlings of each variety in both beds. The seedlings were grown in Cornell Mix (Redi-earth Peat-lite mix) and seemed quite happy. The soil attached to the cube of the seedling was the only soil put in the pebble bed which was only pebbles for 6 inches down.

The test of which Penstemons can survive in which bed will come next spring after this wet fall and, I am sure,next spring's wet season. But some interesting characteristic differences of the two beds are already apparent.

I planted the seeds from the APS and ARGS in moist Cornell Mix soil and placed them inside plastic bags which were stored on the bottom shelf of a refrigerator for three weeks. They were then taken out and put under artificial fluorescent lights (4 bulbs per fixture) three inches from the bulbs--day temperatures 70-80-deg. F, evenings 60-deg. F, lights on for 16 hours per day. In about a week, most of the seeds germinated. As soon as second leaves formed, they were planted in both the pebble and sand beds. Even though the seedlings were still very small, their root system had

42

~,

reached the bottom of the seed cubes and were growing in on themselves. This seems to indicate that root growth is much greater than stem growth.

The general rate of growth of the plant in the sand bed was two to four times that of the same plant variety in the pebble bed. The plants in both beds were sprayed every two weeks with Orthenex. It appeared to have no toxic effect.

By the beginning of September, as the weather cooled, and we started to get more rain, some of the plants in the sand bed started to die. In desperation, alpinus, azureus, fendleri and nitidus were moved from the sand bed to the pebble bed in hopes that they would improve. Brandegia died in the sand bed but was doing great in the pebble bed.

I noticed that when if moved nitidus from the sand bed to the pebble bed it had a thick tap root 2-1/2" long although the above ground stem was only 1" tall. Fendleri was also I" tall in the sand bed but when I dug it up to move to the pebble bed I broke the tap root off at 7 inches. Was that a surprise! It seems that for some Penstemons the tap root is many times the length of the stem.

Several plants did equally well in the sand and pebble bed. They were hirsutus ~ pygmaeus, procerus, australis, grandiflorusand wislizenii.

It is now the beginning of December. It rains every other day and the temperatures are in the 30's. I guess I will have to wait until spring before I can tell which bed the Penstemons prefer. If I am allowed a prediction, I would say that although the growth rate is at least half as great in the pebble bed the survival rate will be much greater. I noticed that in the sand bed, rain caused the sand to cake along the stems of the seedlings and young plants. They do not seem to like this. Oh well, time to wait for spring.

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SMALL PENSTEMONS FOR SMALL ROCK GARDENS AND TROUGHS by

Gwen Kelaidis

The following is an offering of the smallest Penstemons. Since there are so many species in this genus, one really can't hope to grow them all; it would , be fun to have all the cute one.s that are under 12" tall. Not all those mentioned are in cultivation, so this may serve not only as a shopping list, but also a "hit" list for plants to be found in the wilds of the West and brought home. There are undoubtedly additional species once we've "captured" these.

Golden Tongues (Aurator) eriantherus - varies from 3-12", large lavender

flowers on a hairy plant. grahamii - the baby-bird penstemon, with upturned

mouth full of golden fuzz. 6" dolius, miser, pumilus, janishae, concinnus,

cleburnii - all should be under 10" and good. All like desert habitats and have fine gray hairs on the leaves.

Mat Penstemons (Ericopsis) acaulis - the smallest, under 2", with flowers

buried in the foliage. yampaensis - a slightly larger version of the

above, with olive green leaves. Both are endemic to a small section of the Utah­Wyoming-Colorado corner region.

teucrioides - blue-green foliage and lovely blue or white flowers, a charming mat draped over the edge of a trough or a rock.

tusharensis - also blue foliage but grayer, and the flowers seem more a winey purple, at least in the form seen so far in cultivation. A sub­alpine plant which doesn't seem to thrive on dessication.

thompsoniae - almost white, bluish foliage and an upright habit, though still under the 10" limit. A desert species. Who cares if it flowers?

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caespitosus - the usual forms may be too spreading at 2-3' diameter, but some subspecies, such as perbrevis and desertipicti (indistingishable exceptby length of the anthers), are smaller and gray-foliaged.

laricifolius - distinctive for linear leaves in a tuft at the base of the flowering stems, and for the luminescence of the flowers. The type form is an enchanting pink with maroon over­tones in bud, and the subspecies exilifolius is shining white. Both short at 4-8".

californicus - reputed to be 10" and lovely. Who will collect this for us?

Shrubbies (Dasanthera) rupicola - round, gray leaves and pink flowers with

fuzzy stamens, a truemat.Frequently hybrid­zes with the following in gardens, and on the crest of the Cascades.

davidsonii - green, small leaves, also very short, with lavender flowers. Its subspecies, menziesii, is shorter yet and usually has toothed leaves.

montanus - hairy leaves and stems up to 8", a plant of very rough talus slopes. formally thought to be ungrowable, but Jim Borland had plants from cuttings available at the Mother's Day Sale, and at leas t some people have very healthy looking . plants now.

True Blue Blues (Coerulei) angustifolius - in i .ts smaller version a mere 5",

wi th turquoise flowers and narrow, glaucous blue leaves.

nitidus - blue flowers, a rosette of blue leaves, and a habit of dying out from too much water.

Harbour's (Harbourii) harbourii - another prostrate pent of mountain

screes and limited distribution. Lilac flowers.

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Smooth and Green (Babroanthus) caryii - 4", blue flowers. fremontii - to 10", blue flowers, , green leaves,

desert habit, well-flowered around the stem. hallii - to 8", heavily flowering and a lovely

lavender. uintahensis - a small caryii. absarokensis - a recently named species from

Wyoming and it looks like it's worth going after.

plain Penstemon (Graciles, Humiles, Proceri) humilis - 4-12", blue to violet flowers, lovely. aridus - a tiny tuft with 6-8" stems of blue

flowers. Choice! hirsutus ssp. pygmaeus - 4-6", with closed-mouth

flowers of purple touched with white. Leaves wi th purplish hues too, especially lovely in winter.

procerus - 4-14" so look for the dwarf forms. Flowers are tiny but numerous.

f lavescens - Balls of creamy yellow flowers on 6-10"

stems.

HOW TO USE A KEY by

Ken and Robin Lodewick

Do you find botanical keys easy to use?--if the answer is "yes," you don't need to read any farther. If (like most of us) you think keys are hard, or impossible to use, then read on.

First the good news: anyone who reads the first two sentences of this item has already used a key. Basically, that is what a key is: pairs of questions, or rather statements, with yes or no answers. A "No" leads to the other statement in the pair; a "Yes" leads on to a new set of questions. If you have used a computer or filled out the type of questionnaire that says, "if your answer is no, skip the next questions and go to the following page," you will find that a botanical key is very similar. Each pair of statements gives you

46

a yes-or-no, either/or choice; one of the two has to be correct. A "No" leads to the other statement in the pair; a "Yes" leads to a new set of questions, or the answer.

When we started doing our Penstemon key, we tried to make it as easy to follow as we could because of the difficulty we have had with complica ted keys. People tell us they would like some explanation of how to use this key or any key. The easiest way to explain it is to talk ourselves through a search.

Suppose you find a flower that looks like a Penstemon and want to identify it. Look at the first section of the Penstemon key which came with tile SUmmer 1986 APS Bulletin. The key itself starts on page 4 with a series of statements describing genusPenstemon. (If a flower does not fit this description, it has to be in a different genus.) Expanding the description makes it easier to read:

Pen s t e m 0 n (is a genus in the family] Scrophulariaceae. [A Penstemon is a] perennial shrub, subshrub or herb. [Its] leaves [are] opposite, [or] rarely sub-alternate or whorled. [Its] inflorescence [is) indeterminate [and made up] of determinate or indeterminate cymes; [each cyme is] one-to-many-flowered. [The Penstembn) flower is tubular with five lobes; [it has ~n] epistaminal nectary; four stamens [and) one large staminode, [which is) bearded or glabrous. [The] capsule [is] four-parted, [and splits) open. [Penstemons grow native throughout] North America [as far south as] Guatemala.

If your flower fits this description, it is a Penstemon, and you can go on to the first set of either/or statements in the key. Notice that these statements are labeled with letters of the alphabet: A and A are the first pair, Band B the second, and so on. (The paired statements are also indented the same distance from the left margin which makes them easier to locate.) Each pair of letters gives you an alternative, yes-or-no choice. Since only the first section of the key has been

47

printed, we'd better pick a species which can be found in it to key out--let's say it is a species with glabrous anthers which open from the inner end, red-purple flowers and serrate leaves. Now follow the key (we have added the answers, "NO" or "YES (with directions) after each statement.)

A. Anthers woolly NO A. Anthers glabrous to more or less halry YES (go

on to B) B. Anthers open partway from one end YES B. Anthers open from end to end across connective

NO (go back to the first B, and right under it

C. C.

D.

D.

will be found ..• ) Anthers open part way from inner end Yes Anthers open part way from outer end NO (go back to the first C and follow down under it)

Anthers saccate, more or less parallel: See Group II YES Anthers more or less pouched, spreading NO (go back to the first D and follow instructions to see Group II)

(Now that you see how it works, we will just take the YES answers and follow them as we come to them)

GROUP II A. Corolla red NO A. Corolla not red YES

C. Corolla white or tinged violet NO C. Corolla blue-purple to red-purple,orpaler YES

D. L'eaves more or less serrat.e to dissected YES E. Leaves not all opposite; leaves medium width

tapering to both ends NO E. Leaves all opposite YES

G. Leaves broad at base, oblong to lanceolate

YES H. Anther and/or staminode filaments more or

less hairy YES Rest of plant essentially glabrous. Leaves broad, ovate, to 100 mm to 1/3 as wide. Cymes short, 2-3 flowered. Sepals often scarious erose. Corolla red-purple,

48

to 35 mm & 1/3 as wide; corolla lobes ciliate at ends; staminode bearded. Anthers occasionally slightly hairy. Southeastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, west central Idaho.

This description is followed by the species name: VENUSTUS. You have your plant identified. Simple, isn't it? (well, until you get to some real hard problems!) And having got this far, we have to put in a warning. Penstemons vary and hybridize. In our own garden, the ~ venustus seedlings do not have the hair on the filaments that is so distinctive in the wild. That is one reason we have put in all the characteristics of each species that can help identify it and with occasional cross references. Next time the Group II key is printed, we will have a cross reference after (I, serrulatus) to "see also H, venustus." And for those of you who may have had trouble with Group IIa, there was one see-also reference left out there. The next printing will show after "T, leonardii," the cross reference "see also I, laetus'." (~laetus varies so much we've come to think one should check it against any difficult saccate in Group IIa!)

Now let us define some of the terms you have been using in the key. Anther: the pollen bearing part of the stamen. In

Penstemonit is two small "anther-sacs"at the end of the stamen, usually brown.

Capsule: the seed pod of a Penstemon. It splits into four equal sections when it is ripe, releasing the seeds.

Ciliate: Bearing cilia, fringed with hairs, bearing hairs on the margin.

Corolla: the flower. Cyme:a single stem of flowers. Usually there is

one cyme on each side of a node. Determinate: a flower head or. branch of same that

starts to bloom at the outer end, limiting the growth of the head to that length.

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Epistaminal: referring to the location of the nectary on the lower portion of the stamens as opposed to one located on the floral disc.

Genus: a group of species that have almost all points of identification in common.

Glabrous: without hairs, smooth. Herb: a plant with stems that are not woody or

woody only at the base. Indeterminate: a flower head or branch of same

that starts to bloom from the bottom, allowing the head to keep growing. An indeterminate inflorescence can bloom for a longer period of time than a determinate one.

Inflorescence: the flower head. Nectary: \Vhere the nectar is produced. Nectar

attracts the bees, etc., which pollinate the

flower. Node: point on the stalk \Vhere leaves or flowers

are borne. Opposit.e: coming from tlH= same node but on

opposite sides of the stalk. Saccate: a type of anther. In Penstemon, anther-

sa.cs opening from the inner end and remaining parallel to the stamen

Serrate: with small teeth on the edges of the leaves. These tend to be pointed in

Penstemon. Shrub: in Penstemon, a plant with woody, branched

Btems that are pe.rsistent and usually bear

evergreen leaves. St.amen: the filament holding the anthers. Tn

Penstemon it comes from the base of the pet.alB and puts the anthers where the pol­linator touches them as it enters.

Staminode: a sterile stamen, wit.hout anther-sacs. In Penstemon, the staminode is large and often

bearded with hairs. sub-'a1. ternat.e: referri.ng to the 1.eaves at a node

when they are not quite opposite. Subshrub: a plant that is less woody than a shrub

but morc so than a herb. Whorled: wi.th more than t\~O leaves or cymes to a

node.

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COVER PENSTEMONS

The photograph of ~ palmeri on the front cover was taken at Bob Heapes home during the outing for the June, 1986 meeting in Denver. While not particularly well composed, it does show the lovely features of palmeri. The plant was at least four feet tall. The buds seem to be saying, "00000, that was sour!"

Ellen Wilde from Santa Fe, New Mexico provided a slide of ~ ambiguus which we had converted to a print and used for the back cover. COME TO THE MEETING NEXT JUNE AND SEE AND PROCURE THIS BEAUTY.

The following botanical descriptions were copied from the Intermountain Flora, Volume Four by permission of the New York Botanical Garden.

61. Penstemon palmeri A. Gray PC/lls/emon palmeri A. Gray. Proc. Amer. Acad. Ans 7: 379.

1868. (Colles & Pallller 228. ··Rocky River banks .. Rio Verde." Skull Vallcy. Ariz .. 28 Aug 1865: hololype at GH!)

P. IIIacran/hlls Eastw. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 32: 207. 1905. P. palmeri var. macran/hlls N. Holmgren. Brillonia 31: lOS. 1979. (0. F. Hei:ers.n .. IXl Caflon. e. side of the Stillwater Range. 33 airline mi ene. of Fallon. Churchill Co .. Nev .. 15 June 1902; holotype at CAS')

P. palmeri subsp. eglanduloslIS Keck. Amer. MidI. Naturalist 18: 797. 1937. P. palmeri var. eglandll/oslIsN. Holmgren. Brinonia 31: 105. '979. (8. Maguire. R .. \lugl/ire· & G. Piralliun 12:/79. ··Base of red ~.ndslone cliffs," 2.5 mi n. of Kanab. Kane Co .. Utah. 29 June 1935; hololype al UTC!: isotype at NY!)

Palmer's penstemon.

Robust perennial herb, 5-14 dm tall: stems erect or ascending, few to several arising from a thick crown. this surmounting a taproot; herbage glabrous and glau­cous: leaves tlistinctl¥ dentate or the uppermost some­times subentire. fleshy, the basal (usually few) and low­er cauline ones 6-10 (14) dm long. 1.5-3 (6) cm wide, ovate, petiolate, the mid and upper cauline ones 4-10 (12) cm long . .2.5-5 (6) cm wide, the mid cauline ovate and auriculate-clasping, the upper often triangular, with the broad bases conrtate-perfoliate. or auriculate-clasp­ing in some var. mocralllhus; thyrse elongate, usually with several verticillasters. the cymes 2-4-flowered. the peduncles and pedicels divaricately branched, glan­dular-pubescent or glabrous in var. eglandulosus. se­cund: calyx (4) 4.5-6 (7.5) mm long. the segments ovate.

51

acute, glandular-pubescent or glabrous, the margins narrowly scarious, undulate to erose; corolla (25) 27-35(40) mm long. abruptly expanding into a strongly inflated throat, 12-21 mm broad when pressed, round­ed ventrally, the tube 4~ (8) mm long, the upper lip projecting and slightly arched upward, the lobes of the lower lip reflexed. white or pale pink to lavender-pink with prominent red-violet guide-lines on the lower lip and inside the throat, glandular-pubescent externally and within. or sometimes glabrous, the palate sparingly bearded with long, whitish hairs. fragrant; staminode exserted, the base glandular-pubescent, the apex scarcely dilated. uncinate. densely bearded with long, spread­ing, yellow hairs, these up to 3 mm long: fertile stamens included to reaching the orifice, the posterior (shorter) pair glandular-puberulent at the base. the anther-cells (1.6) 1.8-2.4 mm long, dehiscing the full length and becoming opposite but not explanate. essentiallygla­brous; capsule 11-16 mm long, glandular-puberulent apically; 2n '" 32.

Blackbrush. sagebrush. Joshua tree. juniper. pinyon-juniper. and ponderosa pine communities. along washes. roadsides and canyon noo~. usually where subsurface moisture is available throughout most of the summer. 800-2500 m elev.: in sw. Utilh from s. Millard Co. to Washington and Kane cos.: in nw. and c. Ariz. in Coconino. Mohave. and Yavapai cos.: in Nc;v. from s. Elko and e. Eureka cos .. s. to ne. Nye. , lincoln. andClarkcos .. .. and disjunct in Pe~hing and Churchill cos.: in s. Calif. in the Mojave Desert mts, ofs. Inyo and e. San Bernardino cos.: collections from introductions in Farmington Can­yon.Dav.is Co .• and Benson. Cache Co .. Utah and becoming estab­lished along Interstate 80 near Mountain Home. Idaho. May-J uly (Aug).

Three varieties of P. palmer; are readily distinguishable by the fol­lowinj! key characters. In southern Elko Co. and White Pine Co .. Nnada the plants of var. palml'r; tenti to have larger corollas.

Corolla-tube 4-6 mm long: uppercauline leaves always connate­perfoliate.

2 Peduncles. pedicels. and calyces glandular-pubescent: anther­cells 1.8-2.4 mm long: sw. Utah (absent from the range of the following var.). e. ands. Nev .. s. to se. Calif: and nw. and c. Ariz. and introduced in s. Idaho and n. Utah

var. palm('ri 2 Peduncles. pedicels. and calyces glabrous: anther-cells 1.6- .

2.0 (2.2) mm long:s. end of the Utah Plateaus from Cedar City and Bryce Canyon Nail. Park. and e. Pine Valle~' Mts .. s. through Zion Nat!. Park and Kanab .to the Kaibab Pla­teau in n. Coconino Co .. Ariz.

... var. eglalldllloslIs (Keck) N. Holmgren Corolla-tube 7-8 mm long: uppercauline leaves often not always

connate: mts. of e. parts of Churchill and Pershing cos .. and in Nye Co .. Nev ....... var. macralllhlls (Eastw.) N. Holmgren

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28. Penstemon ambiguus Torr. Pelllstemon ambiglllll1l Torr. Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New

York 2: 228. 1827. Leioslemon purpureUI/I Rar. Atlantic J. I : 145. 1832. Leiostemon ambiglllls Greene. LeaH. Bot. Observ. Crit. I: 223. 1906. (E. P. James s.n .. "Near the Rocky Mountains." Colo. or N.M. [probably e. Colo.). in 1820: holotype at NY!)

P. ambiguus subsp. lae"issilllllS Keck in Kearney & Peebles. J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 29: 491. 1939, P. amhiglllls var. lae­";ssimus N. Holmgren. Brill9nia 31: 104. 1979. (Cloke.!' 8//3. Wilson's Ranch. Charleston Mts .. 1180 m. Clark Co .. Nev .. 7 June 1938: isotype at NY!)

Bush penstemon, gilia penstemon.

Diffusely branched shrub 3-5 (8) dm tall and about as broad; stems woody well above the base, green; herbage glabrous (ours) to puberulent; leaves filiform. 1-3 (5) em long; 0.5-1 mm wide, entire. involute. acute, longer on the. main stern than on the flowering branch­es; thyrse racemiform, with 1- (2)-ftowered cymes; ca­lyx 2.5-:4mmlong, the. s.eg~e.~ts ovate. !lcurninat!! or acute, glabrous, the margins searious; corolla (15) 20-25 mm long; tubtilar-salverform, the tube narrow, curved in the middle, gradually widening distally. the throat rounded ventrally,. the limb spreading obliquely with the upper,}obes more or less reftexed and the lower projecti~g, these subequal, the .limb white. on.the front, pale pink on back, the tube rose-pink. glabrous outside, the throat red-pubescent within on all sides at the ori­Ike; staminode glabrous, red, ' included; fertile stamens included, the filaments white distally and red proxi­maUy,tgeamher-cellsQ.6,-Q.8 mm 'Iong, divergent, dehiscing the fullle~gthand 'explanate, black, glabrous; capsule 5,5-7 mm long, ovoid, acuminate; 2n = 16.

Sandy slopes and mesas, in creosote bush, blackbrush, Artem;s;a /I/(folia, andjuniperconimunides. 1000-1600 m elev. in our area:s. Nev. (Charleston MIS.) •. across s. Utah (as far n. as the San Rafael Swell. Emery Co .. M. E. Jones s.n .. 28 May 1914: at POM!) andn. Ariz .. e. 105. Colo .. Kansas. w .. Okla .. w. Texas. and n. Chihuahua, Mex. Late May-June.

Our plants belong to var. lae";ss;1II115 (Keck) N. Holmgren. the gla­brous western phase (New Mexico and southwestern Texas. westward). The puberulent typical variety intergrades with the glabrous variety in New Mexico and southwestern Texas and replaces it to the east.

The repon of the closely related Penstemon thurheri Torr. from Ihe Beaver Dam Mountains (L. C. Higgins. F19ra of Ihe Beaver Dam Mountains. M.S. thesis. Brigham Young Univ .. 1967) in southwestern Utah was based on a misidentification of P. leonardii.

53

1987 NATIONAL APS HEETING by

Ellen Wilde

Plan your summer vacation to include late June in northern New Mexico! The annual meeting of the American Penstemon Society 1987 will be held at st. John's College in Santa Fe, June 20 - 23, with full schedule of garden visits, tours, field trips, talks, slide shows and Penstemon show-and-sale.

Santa Fe is at the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains, a small city of 50,000 population, at an elevation of 7,000 feet. It is noted for its beauty, its festivals, history, museums, art and cultural diversity. It should be equally renowned for its astonishingly varied plant communities.

As you come north from Albuquerque, you climb from grasslands to the "pygmy forest" or pinyon -juniper zone which surrounds Santa Fe. Just 4 miles from the campus on the ski basin road you begin to .. see . lots of Ponderosa Pine and .at 7 miles you enter the Santa Fe National Forest. The paved road continues on up through aspen~; fir' and spruce to end 17 miles from downtown where tr.ails begin that will take you to mouptain lakes and alpine tundra. Penstemons grow in astonishing variety around us.

North of Albuquerque the beautiful bush-like mounds of Penstemon amhiguus are foupd on the gravel hillsides of Interstate 25 beginning in May and blooming intermittenly .. throughout the summer. R:.. brevicull.l s .is in the meadow atop the Sandia Mountains which form the spectacular eastern backdrop for Albuquerque. P. secundiflorus is all over the area, including the-sand, tufa and pumice formations of "tent rocks" near Cochiti Dam and pueblo between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. P. cobaea is in the highway median east of Santa-Fe and Albuquerque.

In town R:.. pinifolius and R:.. strictus have been widely used in commercial plantings. Mats of P. crandallii edge a trail just 4 miles from the downtown plaza. Scarlet P. barbatus is spotted all

54

along the mountain roads and trails. P. whippleanus and R:.. rydbergii are in the high mountain meadows of the Sangre de Cristos and the volcanic Jamez Mountains across the Rio Grande River. We also may be lucky and find P.

linariodes, fendleri, alpinus, and others. Local nurseries offer a wide variety including those for sale.

Come to the conference to see, share and learn, whether you are a beginner, an expert, or somewhere in between.

Rooms and meals will be available in the college dormitories at $35.00 per person, per day, double occupancy. (A double room is actually two cubicles with a twin bed in each, separated by closets, so each side has privacy.)

Saturday night a Wine, punch, fruit and cheese reception will be substituted for dinner; and sack lunches will be provided for field trips. Otherwise m~ais will be serv~d cafeteria style, lunch Saturday through Tuesday breakfast.

If you plan to attend, please make your reservations as soon as possible. Send a check for $10.00 per person that will cover meeting room space, mailing, duplicating .and other miscellaneous costs as a deposit for attending the conference, and $35.00 per person if you wish to reserve a room space. The ba.lance of $70.00 for rooms and meals and an optional cost of $30.00 for admiSSions, tour by jitney and itramride and betwee.n-meal beverages and snacks . cah be paid OponarrlYal. Checks should be made out and sent to:

Ellen Wilde 110 Calle Pinonera, Santa Fe, NM 87505.

Call if you have que.stio.ns. (505) 982-1406. Schedules in more detail will be mailed at a

later date.

You may also be interested in attending a symposium on native plants of the Southwest sponsered by the Na.tive Plant Society of New Mexico on the campus pf theHni~erl:lt~x of New Mexico in Albuquerque, June 18 and. 19 .• .. Topics to ... be covered

"'Co' ,'::< .•

55

include landscape uses, propagation, traditional and medicinal uses, highway and civic beauti­fication and conservation issues. Write to NPS -NM, P.O. Box 934, Los Lunas,NM 87031 for more information on it and make your stay in New Mexico longer and richer.

martin I. jones y . .,.

- ,,' ,'JIJ. tiT. -11/ .... ' y '1 .. ~ ~." '~<.(~. " .... AOo.. ~~h'

-Ii ." FA .:i""" - -'1.. ~ tl'~ ( \,'11 , ~ l ~.~ • ir/I

C~foradO . '1 Afpines, Inc.

p. o. box 2108 avon, colorado 81620 (303) 949-6464

Featuring a growing selection of Penstemons as well as many other North American, European and Asiatic species. Senc:i $2 .forCatalog. Refundable on first purchase.

to--,. ~

the American Rock Garden Societ~

offers QUARTERLY BULLETIN· SEED EXCHANG.E COWRED SlJDE UBRARY • BOOK LIBRARY

NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND CIlAPTER MEETINGS

fe.turln, STUDY WEEKEND, PLANT snows, GARDEN TOURS,

PLANT AND BOOK SALES

apply to

B uffy Parker. Secretary American Rock Garden Society

15 Fairmade Rd. Darri en. CT 06820

o Member- $15.00/year o Patron· $50.00 o We Member $250.00 (individual)

56

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