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Penstemon ‘Dark Towers’, Dale T. Lindgren, Daniel Schaaf

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Penstemon Mitch. (Plantaginaceae Juss. formerly Scrophulariaceae Juss.) is a genus of plants with ≈ 271 species that can be found from low deserts to high alpine areas (Lindgren and Wilde, 2003; Wolfe et al., 2006). It is one of the largest genera of North American wildflowers. Some Penstemon are easy to grow; others are very challenging to maintain (Lindgren and Wilde, 2003). Numerous selections of Penstemon have been named and released (Lindgren, 2006) and many crosses between species have been attempted (Lindgren and Schaaf, 2007). New Penstemon selections are needed that combine valuable traits of multiple species and cultivars. Several …