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attenuate Indian paintbrush, attenuate paintbrush, narrow-leaf owl's-clover, narrow-leaf owl-clover, narrow-leaf paintbrush, valley-tassels

Mount Hamilton paintbrush, Mt. Hamilton Indian paintbrush

Habit Herbs, annual, 1–4.5 dm; with fibrous roots. Herbs, perennial, 1.8–4(–5) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

solitary, erect to ascending, unbranched, sometimes branched from base, hairs spreading, short and medium, ± stiff, eglandular.

several to many, erect to ascending, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs spreading, long, soft, mixed with shorter stipitate-glandular ones.

Leaves

green to purple-tinged, linear to linear-lanceolate, (1–)2–8 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat, 0(–5)-lobed, apex acuminate;

lobes spreading to ascending, filiform to lanceolate, apex sometimes acuminate.

green, linear to narrowly or broadly lanceolate, (1–)3–5(–6) cm, not fleshy, margins wavy (obscure on many pressed specimens), involute, usually 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex broadly acute to rounded;

lobes widely spreading, linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute to acuminate.

Inflorescences

(1.5–)2–10(–19, –30 in fruit) × 1–2 cm;

bracts proximally green to pale brown, rarely dull reddish brown, distally white on apices, sometimes pale yellow or pale pink-purplish on apices, rarely greenish or dull reddish brown throughout, lanceolate or lanceolate-elliptic, 3(–5)-lobed;

lobes ascending, linear to lanceolate, long, arising below mid length, apex acuminate, acute, or obtuse.

2.5–10 × 2–5.5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally red to red-orange, narrowly lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, 3–5-lobed;

lobes spreading, distal, if present, ascending, linear or narrowly oblanceolate to triangular, proximals long, arising below mid blade, distals short, sometimes mere teeth, near apex of central lobe, sometimes wavy-margined, apex obtuse to rounded, sometimes acute.

Corollas

straight, 10–25 mm;

tube 9–20 mm, not expanded distally;

beak exserted, straight, adaxially white, light yellow, or greenish, 3–5 mm, inconspicuously puberulent;

abaxial lip white or yellow with deep brown to purple spots, often becoming pink, slightly inflated, exserted or not, pouches 3, 2 mm wide, 1–1.5 mm deep, 3–4 mm, 75–80% as long as beak;

teeth erect, white, pale yellow, or pink, 0.5–1.2 mm.

straight to slightly curved, 24–38 mm;

tube 14–21 mm;

beak exserted from calyx, adaxially green, 11–16.5(–18) mm;

abaxial lip green, reduced, visible or not through deep front cleft in calyx, 2 mm, 13% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, green, 1 mm.

Calyces

colored as bracts, (8–)15–23 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts (4–)6–8 mm, abaxial ca. 50% of calyx length, adaxial ca. 75% of calyx length, lateral 3–3.5 mm, 33% of calyx length;

lobes linear to narrowly triangular, apex acute to acuminate.

whitish with green veins or green, sometimes purple, distally same color as bracts, sometimes with yellowish band below colored apices, 20–26(–29) mm;

abaxial clefts (8–)13–16(–19) mm, adaxial 7–12(–14) mm, clefts 35–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–6(–8) mm, 10–30% of calyx length;

lobes linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, apex obtuse to acute.

Filaments

glabrous.

2n

= 24.

= 48.

Castilleja attenuata

Castilleja dissitiflora

Phenology Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Jun. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Grasslands, pastures, moist margins of springs and streams, damp rocky slopes. Sagebrush slopes often rocky, montane to subalpine.
Elevation 0–2100 m. (0–6900 ft.) 1900–3300 m. (6200–10800 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; OR; WA; BC; Mexico (Baja California); South America (Chile)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja attenuata is a common and widespread species, ranging from southwestern Canada to northern Baja California, with several disjunct populations in central Chile. It is sensitive to competition from weeds. Disjunct populations in the Rincon Mountains in Pima County, Arizona, often have pink bracts but are otherwise typical.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Castilleja dissitiflora is endemic to several mountain ranges in central and eastern Nevada, in the upper montane and lower subalpine zones. It has the deep abaxial calyx cleft of C. linariifolia and the stipitate-glandular, wavy-margined leaves of C. applegatei var. pinetorum. Based on morphological data, Holmgren suggested that it is an allopolyploid derived from hybridization of C. applegatei var. pinetorum and C. linariifolia. His proposal is plausible and should be further tested. Castilleja dissitiflora is a tetraploid, while both putative parental species have at least some diploid populations.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 590. FNA vol. 17, p. 603.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Castilleja Orobanchaceae > Castilleja
Sibling taxa
C. affinis, C. ambigua, C. angustifolia, C. applegatei, C. aquariensis, C. arachnoidea, C. brevilobata, C. brevistyla, C. campestris, C. cervina, C. chambersii, C. chlorotica, C. christii, C. chromosa, C. chrymactis, C. chrysantha, C. cinerea, C. citrina, C. coccinea, C. collegiorum, C. covilleana, C. crista-galli, C. cryptantha, C. cusickii, C. densiflora, C. dissitiflora, C. disticha, C. elata, C. elegans, C. elmeri, C. exserta, C. flava, C. foliolosa, C. fraterna, C. genevieveana, C. glandulifera, C. gleasoni, C. gracillima, C. grisea, C. haydenii, C. hispida, C. hololeuca, C. hyperborea, C. indivisa, C. integra, C. kaibabensis, C. kerryana, C. kraliana, C. lacera, C. lanata, C. lasiorhyncha, C. lassenensis, C. latifolia, C. lemmonii, C. leschkeana, C. levisecta, C. linariifolia, C. lindheimeri, C. lineariloba, C. lineata, C. litoralis, C. lutescens, C. martini, C. mendocinensis, C. mexicana, C. miniata, C. minor, C. mogollonica, C. mollis, C. montigena, C. nana, C. nelsonii, C. nervata, C. nivea, C. occidentalis, C. oresbia, C. organorum, C. ornata, C. pallescens, C. pallida, C. parviflora, C. parvula, C. patriotica, C. peckiana, C. peirsonii, C. pilosa, C. plagiotoma, C. praeterita, C. pruinosa, C. puberula, C. pulchella, C. purpurascens, C. purpurea, C. raupii, C. revealii, C. rhexiifolia, C. rigida, C. rubicundula, C. rubida, C. rupicola, C. salsuginosa, C. scabrida, C. schizotricha, C. septentrionalis, C. sessiliflora, C. subinclusa, C. suksdorfii, C. tenuiflora, C. tenuis, C. thompsonii, C. tomentosa, C. uliginosa, C. unalaschcensis, C. victoriae, C. viscidula, C. wightii, C. wootonii, C. xanthotricha
C. affinis, C. ambigua, C. angustifolia, C. applegatei, C. aquariensis, C. arachnoidea, C. attenuata, C. brevilobata, C. brevistyla, C. campestris, C. cervina, C. chambersii, C. chlorotica, C. christii, C. chromosa, C. chrymactis, C. chrysantha, C. cinerea, C. citrina, C. coccinea, C. collegiorum, C. covilleana, C. crista-galli, C. cryptantha, C. cusickii, C. densiflora, C. disticha, C. elata, C. elegans, C. elmeri, C. exserta, C. flava, C. foliolosa, C. fraterna, C. genevieveana, C. glandulifera, C. gleasoni, C. gracillima, C. grisea, C. haydenii, C. hispida, C. hololeuca, C. hyperborea, C. indivisa, C. integra, C. kaibabensis, C. kerryana, C. kraliana, C. lacera, C. lanata, C. lasiorhyncha, C. lassenensis, C. latifolia, C. lemmonii, C. leschkeana, C. levisecta, C. linariifolia, C. lindheimeri, C. lineariloba, C. lineata, C. litoralis, C. lutescens, C. martini, C. mendocinensis, C. mexicana, C. miniata, C. minor, C. mogollonica, C. mollis, C. montigena, C. nana, C. nelsonii, C. nervata, C. nivea, C. occidentalis, C. oresbia, C. organorum, C. ornata, C. pallescens, C. pallida, C. parviflora, C. parvula, C. patriotica, C. peckiana, C. peirsonii, C. pilosa, C. plagiotoma, C. praeterita, C. pruinosa, C. puberula, C. pulchella, C. purpurascens, C. purpurea, C. raupii, C. revealii, C. rhexiifolia, C. rigida, C. rubicundula, C. rubida, C. rupicola, C. salsuginosa, C. scabrida, C. schizotricha, C. septentrionalis, C. sessiliflora, C. subinclusa, C. suksdorfii, C. tenuiflora, C. tenuis, C. thompsonii, C. tomentosa, C. uliginosa, C. unalaschcensis, C. victoriae, C. viscidula, C. wightii, C. wootonii, C. xanthotricha
Synonyms Orthocarpus attenuatus
Name authority (A. Gray) T. I. Chuang & Heckard: Syst. Bot. 16: 656. (1991) N. H. Holmgren: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 21(4): 46, figs. 6–8. (1971)
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