Taxon Report

Penstemon calcareus Bdg.

limestone beardtongue

Print Report

Steve Matson 2017

Taxon Summary

Penstemon calcareus, commonly known as limestone beardtongue, is a perennial herb in the Plantaginaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Joshua tree "woodland", Mojavean desert scrub, and Pinyon and juniper woodland, growing at elevations from 1065 to 2040 meters. Penstemon calcareus is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Penstemon calcareus Bdg.
Common Name:	limestone beardtongue
Family:	Plantaginaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR1L100
USDA Plants Symbol:	PECA5
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Apr-May	Apr-May
Elevation:	1065-2040 (3495-6695)
General Habitats:	Joshua tree "woodland", Mojavean desert scrub, Pinyon and juniper woodland
Microhabitat:	Carbonate, Rocky
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G3?
State Rank:	S3?
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 2.3 to 1B.3 on 2006-10-10

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	27
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	3
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	23

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Inyo (INY), San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Colton Well (3411584), Columbia Mtn. (3511514), Cottonwood Canyon (3611753), East of Sand Flat (3611763), Fountain Peak (3411585), Grapevine Peak (3611782), Hanging Rock Canyon (3711726), Last Chance Range SE (3711715), Last Chance Range SW (3711716), Saline Peak (3611786), Sand Flat (3611764), Sand Spring (3711725), Thimble Peak (3611771), Tin Mountain (3611784), Waucoba Canyon (3611788), White Top Mtn. (3611774), Wildrose Peak (3611731)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	3
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	2	7 %
Foot traffic/trampling	1	3%
Non-native plant impacts	1	3%
Other	1	3%

Notes



See Zoe 5: 152 (1903) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

CRPR List Change on 2006-10-10

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 12 February 2025].