Kingdom Plantae Family Plantaginaceae Scientific name Keckiella corymbosa Rank Species | Order Lamiales Genus Keckiella Higher classification Keckiella | |
Keckiella corymbosa (formerly Penstemon corymbosus) is a species of flowering shrub in the plantain family known by the common name redwood penstemon, or redwood keckiella.
It is endemic to California, where it grows in the coastal mountain forests of the central and northern regions of the state.
Description
Keckiella corymbosa is a narrow, erect keckiella, reaching up to about half a meter tall and less than a meter in width. Its spreading branches have oppositely-arranged pairs of narrowly oval-shaped leaves one to three centimeters long and with smooth or vaguely toothed edges.
The plant produces inflorescences on hairy pedicels with many flowers. Each flower is tubular opening into a wide mouth with three narrow, pointed lower lobes and two upper lobes joined into a straight flap or curving lip. The flower is up to 4 centimeters wide and 3 long, and is bright red to orange red or deep pink. Inside the mouth are long filamentous stamens and one flat, yellow-hairy sterile stamen called a staminode.