UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Castilleja miniata

Castilleja thompsonii

common paintbrush, scarlet paintbrush

Thompson's paintbrush
Habit Perennial herb to 80 cm tall; stems in small clusters, often branched above. Perennial herb; stems clustered, erect to ascending, 1-4 dm tall, hairy, often tinged with maroon.
Leaves

Simple, narrow with pointed tip;

inflorescence leaves and bracts bright red, sometimes with a few small lobes.

Lower leaves simple, linear; upper leaves narrow with 3-5 linear lobes; lightly hairy. Inflorescence leaves (bracts) yellowish-tinged.
Flowers

Inconspicuous, greenish, tubular flowers, surrounded by a much showier bright red calyx and inflorescence bracts.

Calyx 12-25 mm long, maroonish in color, with 4 acute lobes at tip, cleft more deeply above and below than on sides. Corolla incospicuous, greenish, hidden within the more showy calyx, the galea (upper beak) short, the lower lip greater than 1/2 length of galea, scarcely pouched. Ovary superior, 2-celled.
Fruits

2-celled capsules with many seeds.

Many-seeded capsules.
Comments

Our most common Castilleja in the mountians.

Plants found at higher elevations tend to be smaller, less pubescent and more glandular.

Castilleja miniata

Castilleja thompsonii
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. Can be sufficiently separated from other Castilleja species in Washington by the combination of perennial habit, yellowish inflorescences, acute calyx tips with median clefts deeper than the lateral clefts, greenish corolla enclosed by the calyx (or nearly so), and close association with sagebrush. See also Castilleja cervina.
Flowering time May-September May-September
Habitat Mountain meadows and slopes; also on coastal bluffs; widespread and common. Dry sagebrush deserts to high mountain ridges.
Distribution
Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to the Rocky Mountains and Great Lakes region.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
East of the Cascade summits in Washington; British Columbia south to Oregon.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Native Native
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
C. ambigua, C. attenuata, C. cervina, C. chambersii, C. cryptantha, C. cusickii, C. elmeri, C. exserta, C. hispida, C. levisecta, C. litoralis, C. lutescens, C. minor, C. parviflora, C. rupicola, C. suksdorfii, C. tenuis, C. thompsonii, C. victoriae
C. ambigua, C. attenuata, C. cervina, C. chambersii, C. cryptantha, C. cusickii, C. elmeri, C. exserta, C. hispida, C. levisecta, C. litoralis, C. lutescens, C. miniata, C. minor, C. parviflora, C. rupicola, C. suksdorfii, C. tenuis, C. victoriae
Subordinate taxa
C. miniata var. dixonii, C. miniata var. miniata
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the University of Washington's Burke Herbarium.



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