Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Desert

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Rare

About

This shrub grows in the sandy washes and rocky plateaus of the American Southwest. Its leaves fuse together at the base to form a cup that collects rainwater for the roots.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Lamiales

Family

Plantaginaceae

Genus

Penstemon

Species

Penstemon pseudospectabilis