Castilleja attenuata |
Castilleja miniata |
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attenuate paintbrush, valley-tassels |
common paintbrush, scarlet paintbrush |
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Habit | Slender annual 1-3.5 dm. tall, the stem usually simple, the herbage with short, stiff spreading hairs throughout. | Perennial herb to 80 cm tall; stems in small clusters, often branched above. |
Leaves | Leaves alternate, all cauline, narrowly lance-linear, long-tapered to the base, 2-6 cm. long, entire or the upper 3-cleft. |
Simple, narrow with pointed tip; inflorescence leaves and bracts bright red, sometimes with a few small lobes. |
Flowers | Inflorescence elongate and narrow, the bracts becoming shorter and more cleft than the leaves, white or yellowish; calyx equally lobed; corolla 1-2.5 cm. long, linear, whitish to pinkish, the lower lip more yellowish with some purple spots; teeth of the lower lip erect, slender, nearly equaling the galea |
Inconspicuous, greenish, tubular flowers, surrounded by a much showier bright red calyx and inflorescence bracts. |
Fruits | Capsule. |
2-celled capsules with many seeds. |
Comments | Our most common Castilleja in the mountians. |
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Castilleja attenuata |
Castilleja miniata |
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Identification notes | A few traits to look for include the narrow unlobed leaves; bright red inflorescence; sharply pointed calyx lobes, and greenish flowers much longer than calyx. Castilleja is a difficult genus; consult technical keys. | |
Flowering time | April-June | May-September |
Habitat | Drier areas at low elevations. | Mountain meadows and slopes; also on coastal bluffs; widespread and common. |
Distribution | Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California and Arizona.
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Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains and Great Lakes region.
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Origin | Native | Native |
Conservation status | Not of concern | Not of concern |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Web links |
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