Crested Beardtongue

This was a new plant for us, seen when we botanized the absolutely beautiful rolling hills belonging to Raymond and Diana Nadeau on 11th June. This location is a short way west of Head-Smashed-in Buffalo Jump, way down south from Calgary, heading towards the US border. Always a thrill when one sees something new, no matter what it is : )

This plant is native and grows on dry, open grasslands and hillsides. The tube-shaped flowers are red to purple and have an enlarged, hairy throat. Sepals 5, petals 5, 5 stamens, four of which are fertile and the fifth is a hairy staminode. Blooms June-July.

"Crested Beardtongue is included in Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre's (ANHIC) "tracking list" - plants that have elements of high priority because they are rare, endemic, disjunct, in peril or special in some other way."

albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildlands/whaleback/features