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Glite Dictionary
Penstemon palmeri

Penstemon palmeri

9.9
A plant with fragrant, tube-shaped white to pink flowers in clusters on upright stems that grows in the American Southwest
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Penstemon palmeri
  • Gardeners prize Penstemon palmeri for its showy, fragrant blossoms.

Examples

  • Penstemon palmeri thrives in dry, rocky soils throughout the American Southwest.

  • We spotted several blooming Penstemon palmeri along the hiking trail in Utah.

  • The Penstemon palmeri is known for its beautiful flowers.

  • Have you seen the Penstemon palmeri in bloom?

  • Gardeners prize Penstemon palmeri for its showy, fragrant blossoms.

  • We spotted several blooming Penstemon palmeri along the hiking trail in Utah.

  • Penstemon palmeri thrives in dry, rocky soils throughout the American Southwest.

Synonyms

scented penstemon
vsPenstemon palmeri
  • US
9.9

A North American plant with fragrant tube-shaped white to pink flowers in small upright groups

has inflated rather than tubular flowers clustered on upright stems

Surface Forms

Penstemon palmeri singular
Penstemon palmeris plural

Morphology

Penstemon + palmeri

The structure is taxonomic (genus + species), so a learner who knows 'Penstemon' can reasonably infer that 'Penstemon palmeri' names a particular species of Penstemon (i.e., a kind of plant). However, 'palmeri' is a Latinized epithet/proper name with no independent lexical meaning, so the specific descriptive properties in the definition (fragrant, color, etc.) are not recoverable from the parts.

Etymology

Penstemon palmeri comes from two simple ideas: the genus Penstemon refers to the flower's five small male parts called 'stamens', and the species name palmeri honors the plant collector Edward Palmer. So the name both describes the flower's five parts and remembers who found it, which makes the plant easier to picture and remember.