About Penstemon caesius A.Gray
Penstemon caesius A.Gray, commonly called San Bernardino penstemon, is a perennial subshrub with partially woody growth. It has low scrambling or creeping basal branches, and erect flowering stems that grow more or less straight upward from the plant base. These stems reach a maximum height of 45 centimeters, and most often grow 14 to 30 centimeters tall. The stems are hairless and sometimes waxy, while the inflorescence is covered in glandular hairs. Most leaves are basal, with shapes ranging from broadly obovate (teardrop-shaped, narrower toward the base) to round, and have smooth edges. Leaves are usually 1.5 to 5 centimeters long, and occasionally as short as 7 millimeters. They can be as narrow as 4 millimeters, but more often measure 0.7 to 2 centimeters wide. The inflorescence produces purple-blue tubular flowers roughly 2 centimeters long. The flower has a glandular outer surface, a layer of hairs on the inside, and a hairless staminode. Flowers of this species are pollinated by bees of the genus Osmia, which feed on the flowers' nectar. This penstemon is endemic to the state of California. Within California, it occurs in the San Bernardino Mountains and San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles, and also grows at higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada. It has been documented in the southern California counties of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Kern, and in the northern California counties of Fresno, Inyo, and Tulare. It grows at elevations between 1800 and 3400 meters, and can be found in open coniferous forests and in open, treeless, rocky ridges above the timberline.
