About Penstemon newberryi A.Gray
Penstemon newberryi is a penstemon species commonly known as mountain pride or Newberry's penstemon. It is native to mountain areas of northern California, Oregon, and Nevada, where it grows in rocky, often high-elevation habitats such as talus. This is a bushy, mat-forming subshrub that reaches up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) in height. Most of its leaves grow at the base of the plant; these leaves are oblong or oval, toothed, and measure 1 to 4 centimetres (0.4 to 1.6 inches) long. A few smaller pairs of leaves also grow along the stem. Its glandular inflorescence holds showy magenta flowers that are 2 to over 3 cm (0.8 to over 1.2 in) long. The flowers are generally tubular or funnel-shaped, and have a covering of short to long, curly hairs in the flower mouth and on the staminode. When cultivated in the United Kingdom, this plant has earned the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It can tolerate a wide range of growing positions, but requires full sun to grow. The Latin specific epithet newberryi honors American geologist and botanist John Strong Newberry, who lived from 1822 to 1892. Penstemon newberryi was the favorite flower of the famous naturalist John Muir.
