Mountain-Prairie Region
Endangered Species Program
GRAHAM'S BEARDTONGUE
Picture forthcoming
The Graham's beardtongue is proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act .
Species Description: The Graham’s beardtongue (Penstemon grahamii) is an herbaceous perennial plant within the sub-genus Cristai. Each plant has one to three stems arising from a taproot. These stems are 7-18 centimeters tall. The plant has a cluster of flowers usually of 3 to 20 flowers, although occasionally just one or two flowers are present. The color of the petals varies from light to dark lavender, or pinkish, with dark violet lines in the throat of the corolla tube.
Location: The plant exists in a series of small populations in a narrow band from Raven Ridge, west of the town of Rangely in Rio Blanco County, CO, westward to the vicinity of Sand Wash near the point where Carbon, Duchesne and Uintah Counties meet in the Uinta Basin of UT (a band ~ 80 mi. long by 5 mi. wide).
Threats: Threats to the plant may include loss of habitat due to oil and gas exploration, drilling and field development; and tar sand and oil shale mining. Off-road vehicle use, overuse by domestic and wild grazers, and overuse for horticultural use may also affect some plant populations. These threats, in combination with small population sizes and limited distribution of the plant, result in its vulnerability to natural and human-caused events.
Recent Actions:
- Peer Review Plan for Proposed rule “Proposed Threatened Status for the Plant Penstemon grahamii (Graham’s beardtongue) with Critical Habitat”
- Federal Register Notice: April 13, 2006 Proposed Threatened Status for Penstemon grahamii (Graham’s beardtongue) With Critical Habitat
- Federal Register Notice: January 19, 2006 Proposed Threatened Status for Penstemon grahamii (Graham's Beardtongue) with Critical Habitat
- Press Release: January 19, 2006 Service Proposed Protection for Graham's Beardtongue and Critical Habitat Designation
- Questions and Answers
More information can be found on the Service's ECOS webpage
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