Penstemon of Southeastern Colorado

The Penstemon of Southeastern Colorado is a complete guide to the Penstemon species of southeastern Colorado. The 286 page soft-bound volume contains over 250 pictures and diagrams. There are taxonomic species depictions for each species with photos, text, and range maps. There are 27 native species and 3 introduced species of Penstemon found in southeast Colorado. Two of the native species, P. degeneri and P. versicolor, are endemic to southeast Colorado. This represents about 40% of the Penstemon species that occur in Colorado. There is taxonomic key for the southeastern Colorado species. The taxonomic history for each species is given including the botanists who collected and named the plant as well as the area from which is was first collected (type locality) if known. We defined the area of southeastern Colorado as area drained by the Arkansas River comprising an area of about 24,900 sq. miles. This area includes the high mountain areas of Lake, Chaffee, and Teller Counties to the lower plains, mesa and canyon areas associated with southeastern Colorado. To familiarize the reader with the environment of southeastern Colorado the opening chapters of the book are a concise overview of the physical geography, climate, and ecological life zones of this region of Colorado. While the principal focus of the book is southeastern Colorado, it actually encompasses most of the Colorado Penstemon species found east of the Continental Divide, with the exception of North Park and a small area of northwest Weld Co. and northeast Larimer Co. where 3-6 additional Penstemon species barely enter Colorado near the Wyoming border. The Penstemon species found in eastern Kansas, the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles, and northeastern New Mexico are also included. Lastly, Panayoti Kelaidis has written a marvelous foreword expounding the virtues and history of southeastern Colorado. Read more