Single Record

Species: Penstemon virgatus subsp. virgatus [Penstemon virgatus] [Penstemon unilateralis]

PhotoRecords: YES Rich Haswell: Rio Grande Co, Alder Creek N of South Fork 6 July 2019; junction of Cathedral Creek Road and Groundhog Road, 8 miles NW of South Fork, 20 feet from road, associated with Tetradymia, Rosa, Verbena, Erigeron 8 July 2021

Comments: This is the pubescent subspecies of P. virgatus, whose normal range is New Mexico and Arizona. From the Watershe, there are only two herbarium vouchers, from South Cat Creek (Rio Grande Co, 1924) and Terrace Reservoir (Conejos Co, 1939); and two photorecords, from north of South Fork (Rio Grande Co, 2019, 2021). P. virgatus subsp. virgatus may be more common in the Watershed than this record suggests, with collectors assuming plants are P. virgatus var. asa-grayi, very common and very similar, just lacking the pubescence of stem and leaves. This pubescence is not observable without a hand lens. Still, P. virgatus subsp. virgatus seems rather uncommon in the Colorado Watershed, is common throughout the Rio Grande drainage in New Mexico, and present in Arizona. Many authorities (e.g. Allred et al. 2020; POWO) do not accept this taxon as a subspecies or even variant of Penstemon virgatus. For more photos and comment, click "yes" in the Annotation field below.