Penstemon (arenicola)
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Hannah Demler Innovative Restoration Technician 258 Main St Suite 200 Lander, Wyoming 82520 hannah.demler@tnc.org |
| Family Scientific Name: | Plantaginaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Plantain family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Penstemon arenicola | ||
| Common Name: | Sand penstemon | ||
| Species Code: | PEAR | ||
| Ecotype: | Fremont County, Wyoming | ||
| General Distribution: | P. arenicola is found throughout Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado in the United States and is commonly found in sagebrush shrublands. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | Plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | Seed | ||
| Propagule Collection: |
Fruit is a capsule. Seed is dark brown in color. Seed is collected when the capsules dry out and begin to open. Seed matures uniformly on individual plants throughout mid-summer. Seed is collected by stripping ripe capsules off stalk. Seed was stored in paper or cloth bags at room temperature until cleaned and then vacuum sealed and placed in a freezer for long term storage. Seeds/lb for this ecotype was ~375,600 |
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| Propagule Processing: | Seeds exhibit physiological dormancy (PD) | ||
| Pre-Planting Treatments: | In a germination trial, P. arenicola seed that underwent no pre-treatment had an average percent germination of only 3.8 % after a 28-day incubation under a diurnal temperature regime of 9/25 °C (corresponding to the average temperatures in Fremont County, WY in June). Four different cold stratification durations were tested, where seeds were incubated in sealed petri dishes on 0.7 % (w/v) agar at 3 ±2° C for 1, 2, 3, and 4 months prior to the germination trial. Average germination was low across treatments, with a high of only 45.5 % following 4 months of cold stratification and 28 days at 9/25 °C. We also included a gibberellic acid (GA3) treatment on un-stratified seeds to test chemically-induced dormancy relief compared to cold stratification. 1mM GA3 was added into the 0.7% (w/v) agar and average germination after 28 days at 9/25 °C was 35.3%, comparable to germination after cold stratification durations of 3-4 months. This species likely needs a cold stratification duration of > 4 months for optimal germination and further testing with different GA3 concentrations and durations of exposure are needed to determine if GA3 treatment is an effective means of dormancy relief for P. arenicola. | ||
Citation:
2023. Propagation protocol for production of Penstemon arenicola Plants Lander, Wyoming. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/06/07). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
