National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

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Erna Rose

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Penstemon barrettiae

Family:	Scrophulariaceae
Common Names:	Barrett's beardtongue, Barrett's penstemon
Author:	Gray
Growth Habit:	Perennial
CPC Number:	3212

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Photographer: Erna Rose

Penstemon barrettiae is Not Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

The Berry Botanic Garden

Edward Guerrant, Ph.D. contributed to this Plant Profile.

Penstemon barrettiae

Penstemon barrettiae may be easy to spot when in full bloom, but it is anything but easy to study.

This beautiful penstemon with thick, leathery bluish- to gray- green leaves and long, tubular rose-purple flowers can easily be seen clinging to the cliffs that it calls home. Because of its preference for steep cliffs and rocky outcrops, this is not an easy plant to survey or study. While access to plants along road-cuts may be easy, one would have to be an expert rock climber to reach most.

This would make a beautiful introduction to the garden. It is hardy, drought tolerant, and easy to propagate. But be sure to get seed or plants from a reputable source. Never collect from the wild or obtain plants from nurseries that collect rare plants from the wild.

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Oregon
Washington

Habitat

Crevices along basalt cliff faces, ledges of rock outcrops, open talus and along roadsides. Soils are poorly developed; mostly rock and wind blown organic matter, and are well drained. Associated species include Lomatium suksdorfii, Penstemon richardsonii, and Eriogonum spp. Elevations range from approximately 100 to 1970 ft (30 to 600 m).

Distribution

WA: Columbia Basin, East Cascades, West Cascades (in Klickitat and Skamania Counties)
OR: West Cascades & Crest, East Cascades (Columbia River Basin) (in Hood River, Wasco and Multnomah Counties)

Number Left

8 sites are known in Oregon with unknown numbers of individuals. Most occur near Hood River, but one population was found approximately 45 miles to the west (a surprising range extension) at Bonneville Dam. (Wasco Co., Hood River Co., 1 in Multnomah Co.) (Oregon Natural Heritage Database).

In Washington, there are about 17 presumed extant occurrences (16 in Klickitat Co, 1 in Skamania Co.). Not all populations have been surveyed. As of 1995 (of those with known pop size estimates) 2 populations had fewer than 10 individuals, 3 had between 10 and 20, 3 had between 100 and 200, 3 had between 200 and 450, 1 had approximately 650 and 1 had approximately 2,700 (WNHP 2000).

Protection

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Global Rank:	G2	6/10/2003	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	SC	1/19/1996	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	No

State/Area Protection

State/Area	Rank	Status	Date

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

Individual Penstemon barrettiae plants send out roots along their branches, and when the branches touch the ground, the roots take hold. These rooted branches may then break away from the parent plant, thereby creating a clone. This natural attribute of the plant can be used to the advantage of researchers, as plants can be readily reproduced from cuttings (Kierstead, Reestablishment�).

The establishment of Penstemon barrettiae plants on rocky cliff ledges and talus may create microhabitats suitable for other plants to establish (WNHP 1999).

Threats

� Horticultural exploitation (Meinke 1982).
� Road construction, construction activities (Meinke 1982).
� Herbicide spraying along railroads and highways (Grettenberger 1987).
� Localized distribution (Grettenberger 1987).
� Habitat loss due to quarrying or blasting (WNHP 1999).
� Hiking and rock climbing (WNHP 1999).

Current Research Summary

Genetic studies utilizing isosymes (enzyme analysis) to determine the genetic diversity within and between populations of P. barrettiae. Penstemon barrettiae was found to have high genetic variation with levels of variation greater than that for most restricted endemic plant species. Morphological comparisons between populations were conducted by taking data on leaf length, width, and serrations; inflorescence number and length; and plant diameter and height. All sampled traits differed significantly among populations. This may be due to moisture gradients and substrate differences (Burkhart 1996).

Germination studies conducted at the Berry Botanic Garden were highly variable. In several trials, seeds were subjected to either eight weeks of cold stratification or no cold stratification and then subjected to either constant 68?F (20?C) or alternating 50?/68?F (10?/20?C) temperatures. Depending on the treatment, between 0-60% of the seeds germinated. However, results were inconsistent between trials, perhaps due to differences in seed viability (BBG Files).

Current Management Summary

Cuttings and seeds were taken from plants that were to be destroyed by blasting for construction of a lock at Bonneville Dam. Since P. barrettiae is not a listed species, the Army Corps of Engineers was under no obligation to protect the plants. Despite this, the Corps was enthusiastic about saving the plants. Seeds and cuttings were collected rather dramatically from the high cliffs using an aerial lift. Rooted cuttings were placed in permanent beds at Bonneville Dam and after construction, plants were re-planted on the newly exposed rock cliffs (Kierstead 1986).

Seeds from two sites in Oregon and two sites in Washington are stored at The Berry Botanic Garden.

Research Management Needs

Additional surveys to search for additional populations and to assess the range of known populations (WNHP 1999).

Ex Situ Needs

� Collect and store seed from across the species range.
� Determine optimum germination conditions.
� Study innate seed viability and long-term viability after prolonged storage.
� Determine propagation and reintroduction protocols.

References

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Books (Single Authors)

Abrams, L.; Ferris, R.S. 1944. Illustrated Flora of the Pacific States: Washington, Oregon, and California. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Meinke, R.J. 1982. Threatened and Endangered Vascular Plants of Oregon: An Illustrated Guide. Portland, Oregon: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Region 1. 326p.

ONHP. 2001. Rare, Threatened and Endangered Plants and Animals of Oregon.

Electronic Sources

ONHDB. (2000). Oregon Natural Heritage Program Database. Portland, Oregon.

WNHP. (2000). Washington Natural Heritage Program Database. Olympia, Washington.

Journal Articles

1886. (Original Publication). Syn. Fl. 2nd ed. 21: 440.

Grettenberger, J. 1987. Cooperative Effort to Save Barrett�s Penstemon. Wildlife Resource Notes Information Exchange Bulletin. 5, 2

Guerrant, E.O. Jr. 1991. Transplantation of an Otherwise Doomed Population of Barrett's Penstemon, Penstemon barrettiae. Endangered Species UPDATE. 8: 66-67.

Kierstead, J.R. 1986. Barrett's Penstemon--A Story. The Center for Plant Conservation. 1, 2: Cover.

Kierstead, J.R. 1988. Good news for Barrett's penstemon. The Berry Botanic Garden Newsletter. 1: 5.

Raven, A. 1995. Conservation Corner: Penstemon barrettiae Project. The Berry Botanic Garden Newsletter. 8, 3: 4.

Schwartz, A. Banking on Seeds to Avert Extinction.

Stermitz, F.R.; Blokhin, A.V.; Poley, C.S.; Krull, R.E. 1994. Iridoid Glycosides of Additional Penstemon Species. Phytochemistry. 37: 1283-1286.

Thompson, P.J. 1988. Penstemon barrettiae, Renewed Plant on the Lock. The Center for Plant Conservation. 3, 2: Cover.

Newspaper Articles

Kilpatrick, J.J. 1989 January 8, 1989. Wildflower preservation small victory. The Sunday Oregonian; "A Conservative View".

Klare, Amy. 198?. Army helps rescue wildflower. The Oregonian;

Reports

Kierstead, J. Reestablishment of Barrett�s Penstemon (Penstemon barrettiae Gray) at Bonneville Lock, Columbia River, Oregon.

WNHP. 1999. Field Guide to Selected Rare Vascular Plants of Washington. Produced as part of a cooperative project between the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Natural Heritage Program, and the U.S.D.I. Bureau of Land Management, Spokane District.

Theses

Burkhart, S.S.D. 1996. The Distribution of Morphologic and Allozyme Variation in the Endemic plant, Penstemon barrettiae (Scrophulariaceae). [Bachelor of Arts Thesis]: Reed College.

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This profile was updated on 7/8/2010