E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Penstemon ellipticus J.M. Coult. & Fisher
oval-leaved penstemon (elliptic-leaved penstemon; rocky ledge penstemon)
Plantaginaceae (Mare's-tail family)
(Previously in Scrophulariaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Mary Sanseverino  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #4518)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Penstemon ellipticus
Click here to view our interactive map and legend
Details about map content are available here
Click on the map dots to view record details.

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.



General:
Low-shrubby perennial herb, woody at the base, with or without a taproot; stems branched, creeping, forming rather loose mats; flowering shoots 5-15 cm tall, spreading-hairy.
Leaves:
Opposite, evergreen, smooth, primary leaves short-stalked, thick and firm, the blades broadly elliptic to egg-shaped, entire or remotely toothed, 1-2.5 cm long, rounded to blunt-tipped; leaves of the flowering shoots few, unstalked or nearly so, egg-shaped, similar to the primary leaves but less crowded, usually at least 1 cm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a compact, terminal raceme of 2 to 4 pairs of stalked flowers, the stalks glandular-hairy; corollas light purple to deep lavender, tubular, 2.5-4 cm long, distinctly 2-lipped, smooth on the outside, white-hairy within on the lower lip near its base and on a pair of ridges; calyces 8-15 mm long, minutely sticky-hairy, 5-lobed, the lobes lance-linear to narrowly oblong; fertile stamens 4, the anthers densely white-woolly; sterile stamen shorter than the fertile stamens, long yellow-bearded for much of its length.
Fruits:
Capsules, 8-11 mm long; seeds numerous, angled, narrowly winged, 2-2.5 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Dry rocky slopes, cliff crevices and ledges in the subalpine to alpine zones; infrequent in SE BC; E to SW AB and S to WY, N ID and WA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Penstemon ellipticus

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 1200 2054 2562
Slope Gradient (%) 0 50 140
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
15 126 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
0 1 4
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
B
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
96
Modal BEC Zone Class
ESSF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: AT(24), ESSF(66), ICH(1), MH(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Penstemon davidsonii var. ellipticus (J.M. Coult. & Fisher) B. Boivin

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References