Penstemon laricifolius var. exaltata

Penstemon laricifolius var. exaltata, a photo by andiwolfe (I'm back!) on Flickr.

Last month's American Penstemon Society meeting was in Wyoming. I hadn't spent much time collecting penstemons in Wyoming - mostly just along the I-80 corridor. For the field meeting we traveled in the Snowy Range, the Laramie Mountains, and up to the Ferris Dunes.

This beautiful species is Penstemon laricifolius var. exaltata. It's about five or six inches tall. It's in section Ericopsis, which is a focus my graduate student, Aaron Wenzel. He's doing an interesting study on the phylogeography of this group of penstemons.

I was very glad to make its acquaintance last month, and to have a chance to see some beautiful country out west.