Penstemon gentianoides | |
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Penstemon gentianoides | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Plantaginaceae |
Genus: | Penstemon |
Species: | P. gentianoides
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Binomial name | |
Penstemon gentianoides | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Penstemon gentianoides, the gentian beardtongue, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae. It is a somewhat shrubby perennial herb that can grow up to 1.5 meters tall in good conditions. It has dense bundles of leaves and thyrse-shaped flower clusters with 3–6 flowers which are blue-violet. Named for its similarity to gentians, the species was first described in 1817. It was moved from its original genus Chelone to Penstemon in 1825, and was designated the type species of the new section Fasciculus in 1962.
P. gentianoides is found on volcanic mountain slopes across Mexico and Central America, especially in Pinus hartwegii forests. It is pollinated by several species both hummingbirds and bumblebees, but can also self-pollinate. The species is used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory and various other purposes, and some of these properties have been demonstrated in a laboratory setting. A phytochemical study was able to isolate a new iridoid chemical from the plant's extract, which was named pensteminoside.