Taxon Report

Penstemon heterodoxus Gray var. shastensis (Keck) N. Holmgren

Shasta beardtongue

Print Report

Sierra Pacific Industries (2009)

Taxon Summary

Penstemon heterodoxus var. shastensis, commonly known as Shasta beardtongue, is a perennial herb in the Plantaginaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Broadleafed upland forest, Chaparral, Lower montane coniferous forest, Meadows and seeps, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1100 to 2400 meters. Penstemon heterodoxus var. shastensis is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Penstemon heterodoxus Gray var. shastensis (Keck) N. Holmgren
Common Name:	Shasta beardtongue
Family:	Plantaginaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR1L5Q0
USDA Plants Symbol:	PEHES2
Synonyms/Other Names:	Penstemon shastensis Keck

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: May-Sep	May-Sep
Elevation:	1100-2400 (3610-7875)
General Habitats:	Broadleafed upland forest, Chaparral, Lower montane coniferous forest, Meadows and seeps, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Clay, Mesic (often), Volcanic
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G5T3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


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

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Butte (BUT), Lassen (LAS), Modoc (MOD), Plumas (PLU), Shasta (SHA), Siskiyou (SIS), Tehama (TEH)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Belden (4012113), Boulder Peak (4112351), Burney (4012186), Burney Mtn. East (4012175), Burney Mtn. West (4012176), Childs Meadows (4012134), Crank Mountain (4112142), Donica Mtn. (4112132), Egg Lake (4112133), Grass Lake (4112262), Hambone (4112136), Hatchet Mtn. Pass (4012177), Hollenbeck (4112143), Horse Peak (4112147), Humbug Valley (4012123), Indian Spring Mtn. (4112135), Jonesville (4012114), Lookout (4112122), McCloud (4112232), Old Station (4012164), Pegleg Mtn. (4012048), Pine Creek Valley (4012151), Reading Peak (4012144), Red Cinder (4012142), Stover Mtn. (4012133), Swains Hole (4012163), Whitehorse (4112134)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Threatened by logging and grazing. See American Midland Naturalist 33: 165 (1945) for original description and Brittonia 44(4): 482 (1992) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

USFS Potential Species of Conservation Concern Profile

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 27 January 2025].