Deno’s GardenMy Garden

Penstemon gairdneri

Gairdner's Beardtongue · Gairdner's Penstemon

Family PlantaginaceaeGenus Penstemon

Lilac-purple two-lipped flowers with white-streaked throats, on a hairy stem above narrow gray-green leaves.
FlowerWalter Siegmund (talk)CC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Forb/herb, SubshrubPLANTS Database
Height
1.0 ft30 cmPLANTS Database
Flower
BluePLANTS Database
Blooms
Late SpringPLANTS Database
Native range
Idaho, Oregon, WashingtonGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Growing conditions

Sun
Shade tolerance: HighPLANTS Database
Soil
Adapted to coarse, medium textured soilsPLANTS Database
Soil pH
6.3-8.0PLANTS Database
Moisture
Moisture use: LowPLANTS Database
Watering
Drought tolerance: HighPLANTS Database

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Hooker named it for Dr Meredith Gairdner, a naturalist and surgeon at the Hudson's Bay Company settlement on the Columbia River in the Oregon Country, who knew Hooker and David Douglas. Wikipedia: Penstemon gairdneri

This source reports 5 treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around January 5, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

Germination happens during step 1, in 90 days.

100% germination in 90 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Penstemon p. 187Public domain
Show the original text
Penstemon (Scrophulariaceae). Four types of germination were observed. Most Rocky Mountain species of a perennial nature germ. largely at 40 and often sowing at 70 was fatal or near fatal. A second group are short lived species that can flower the first year from seed typified by P. gairdneri ssp. gairdneri germ. 40(100% in 3rd m) and 70D(100/o)-40-70. A second sample germ. 70D GA-3(40% in 5-11 d), 40(64% in 6-11 w), and 70D(2%). P. gairdneri ssp. oreganus germ. 40(100% in 3rd m) and 70D(3%)-40-70.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Penstemon p. 187. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around January 18, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

Germination happens during step 1, in 77 days.

64% germination in 42–77 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Penstemon p. 187Public domain
Show the original text
Penstemon (Scrophulariaceae). Four types of germination were observed. Most Rocky Mountain species of a perennial nature germ. largely at 40 and often sowing at 70 was fatal or near fatal. A second group are short lived species that can flower the first year from seed typified by P. gairdneri ssp. gairdneri germ. 40(100% in 3rd m) and 70D(100/o)-40-70. A second sample germ. 70D GA-3(40% in 5-11 d), 40(64% in 6-11 w), and 70D(2%). P. gairdneri ssp. oreganus germ. 40(100% in 3rd m) and 70D(3%)-40-70.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Penstemon p. 187. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 25, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 11 days to germinate.

40% germination in 5–11 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Penstemon p. 187Public domain
Show the original text
Penstemon (Scrophulariaceae). Four types of germination were observed. Most Rocky Mountain species of a perennial nature germ. largely at 40 and often sowing at 70 was fatal or near fatal. A second group are short lived species that can flower the first year from seed typified by P. gairdneri ssp. gairdneri germ. 40(100% in 3rd m) and 70D(100/o)-40-70. A second sample germ. 70D GA-3(40% in 5-11 d), 40(64% in 6-11 w), and 70D(2%). P. gairdneri ssp. oreganus germ. 40(100% in 3rd m) and 70D(3%)-40-70.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Penstemon p. 187. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 4

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

Steps after step 1 run on after germination.

Germination happens during step 1; time not stated, 21 days assumed.

3% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Penstemon p. 187Public domain
Show the original text
Penstemon (Scrophulariaceae). Four types of germination were observed. Most Rocky Mountain species of a perennial nature germ. largely at 40 and often sowing at 70 was fatal or near fatal. A second group are short lived species that can flower the first year from seed typified by P. gairdneri ssp. gairdneri germ. 40(100% in 3rd m) and 70D(100/o)-40-70. A second sample germ. 70D GA-3(40% in 5-11 d), 40(64% in 6-11 w), and 70D(2%). P. gairdneri ssp. oreganus germ. 40(100% in 3rd m) and 70D(3%)-40-70.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Penstemon p. 187. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 5

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Very high Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

2% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Penstemon p. 187Public domain
Show the original text
Penstemon (Scrophulariaceae). Four types of germination were observed. Most Rocky Mountain species of a perennial nature germ. largely at 40 and often sowing at 70 was fatal or near fatal. A second group are short lived species that can flower the first year from seed typified by P. gairdneri ssp. gairdneri germ. 40(100% in 3rd m) and 70D(100/o)-40-70. A second sample germ. 70D GA-3(40% in 5-11 d), 40(64% in 6-11 w), and 70D(2%). P. gairdneri ssp. oreganus germ. 40(100% in 3rd m) and 70D(3%)-40-70.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Penstemon p. 187. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

Add to My Garden

View species page