Taxon Report

Penstemon tracyi Keck

Tracy's beardtongue

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Taxon Summary

Penstemon tracyi, commonly known as Tracy's beardtongue, is a perennial herb in the Plantaginaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1980 to 2210 meters. Penstemon tracyi is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Penstemon tracyi Keck
Common Name:	Tracy's beardtongue
Family:	Plantaginaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR1L6A0
USDA Plants Symbol:	PETR
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: Jun-Aug	Jun-Aug
Elevation:	1980-2210 (6495-7250)
General Habitats:	Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_USDA; USFS_S
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	8
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	1
Good (B)	2
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	5

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Siskiyou (SIS), Trinity (TRI)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Caribou Lake (4112218), Dedrick (4012371), Rush Creek Lakes (4012278), Thompson Peak (4112311), Thurston Peaks (4012382)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	3
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	3	38 %
Other	2	25%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	1	12%
Road/trail construction/maint.	1	12%

Notes



Known from fewer than ten occurrences. See American Midland Naturalist 23:603-605 (1940) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Penstemon tracyi account for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2020)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 11 November 2025].