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Penstemon scapoides

Westgard Pass Beardtongue · Pinyon Beardtongue

Family PlantaginaceaeGenus Penstemon

Two slender stems of violet tubular flowers rising from a small silver-gray rosette on a floor of pine litter.
The whole plantJim Morefield from Nevada, USACC BY-SA 2.0

About the plant

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

Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Forb/herb, SubshrubPLANTS Database
Flower
VioletRead from the photograph on this page
Native range
CaliforniaGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

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; Read from the photograph on this page — Deno's Garden; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Two sources report 4 treatments between them. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1998

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 30, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 6 days to germinate.

90% germination in 3–6 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Penstemon p. 52Public domain
Show the original text
Penstemon (Scrophulariaceae). Some of the following data are updates on species reported in the 1st Suppl. As noted in the 2nd Ed. and 1st Suppl., 'there is a wide range of germination behaviors in this genus ranging from requirements for light, oscillating temperatures, low temperatures, and GA-3. P. scapoides seeds DS 2 y germ. 40(1/15), but the fresh seeds germ only 40-70(2/15 in 3rd w) so that more data is needed. * P. Scarlet Queen germ. 70D(90% in 3-6 d) when fresh. Seeds DS 3 y were dead. ^
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Penstemon p. 52. 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, 1998

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 15, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2, in 21 days.

13% germination in 21 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Penstemon p. 52Public domain
Show the original text
Penstemon (Scrophulariaceae). Some of the following data are updates on species reported in the 1st Suppl. As noted in the 2nd Ed. and 1st Suppl., 'there is a wide range of germination behaviors in this genus ranging from requirements for light, oscillating temperatures, low temperatures, and GA-3. P. scapoides seeds DS 2 y germ. 40(1/15), but the fresh seeds germ only 40-70(2/15 in 3rd w) so that more data is needed. * P. Scarlet Queen germ. 70D(90% in 3-6 d) when fresh. Seeds DS 3 y were dead. ^
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Penstemon p. 52. 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, 1998

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

Start around March 16, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on March 15, 2025.

  1. Dry storage

    Duration: 730 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

about 2 years from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2; time not stated, 21 days assumed.

7% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1998 · 2nd Supplement, Penstemon p. 52Public domain
Show the original text
Penstemon (Scrophulariaceae). Some of the following data are updates on species reported in the 1st Suppl. As noted in the 2nd Ed. and 1st Suppl., 'there is a wide range of germination behaviors in this genus ranging from requirements for light, oscillating temperatures, low temperatures, and GA-3. P. scapoides seeds DS 2 y germ. 40(1/15), but the fresh seeds germ only 40-70(2/15 in 3rd w) so that more data is needed. * P. Scarlet Queen germ. 70D(90% in 3-6 d) when fresh. Seeds DS 3 y were dead. ^
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd Supplement, 2nd Supplement, Penstemon p. 52. 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, 1996

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing.

0% germination.

Nothing germinated at 70.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Penstemon p. 64Public domain
Show the original text
Penstemon (Scrophulariaceae). P. scapoides germ.40-70D(2/15 on 2nd d) and none in 70D, 70L, 40, or OS.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Penstemon p. 64. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; 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

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