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

northern Indian paintbrush, northern paintbrush

Habit Herbs, annual, 1–4.5 dm; with fibrous roots. Herbs, perennial, 0.7–2.6 dm; from a many-headed, short, woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

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

few, ascending, unbranched, sometimes branched, glabrate to sparsely hairy proximally, becoming densely hairy distally, proximal hairs appressed, white, short, soft, eglandular, distal hairs widely spreading to erect, white or yellowish, long to very long, soft, eglandular.

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 to sometimes red-brown or dull purplish, linear to linear-lanceolate, 1.5–4 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, involute, (0–)3(–5)-lobed, apex acute to acuminate;

lobes linear or linear-lanceolate, laterals ± divaricate, often abruptly up-curved from plane of main leaf blade, proximals usually 33–50% as long as leaf, apex acuminate to acute.

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.

2–11 × 1–2.5 cm;

bracts greenish or pale yellow, rarely purplish or deep red, often with dull purplish veins on proximal bracts, or proximally greenish or pale yellow, distally whitish, yellow, or orange-yellow, proximal sometimes linear-lanceolate, distal broadly lanceolate to oblong or obovate, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed;

lobes ascending to erect, linear to lanceolate, short to medium length, arising above mid length, proximal bract apex acute, distal obtuse, rounded, or truncate.

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.

slightly curved, 10–22 mm;

tube 8–14 mm;

teeth of abaxial lip sometimes slightly exserted, beak exserted or subequal;

beak adaxially green to pale yellow, 5–8 mm;

abaxial lip deep yellow or green, reduced, forming a small pouch visible through front cleft, 3–5 mm, 50–75% as long as beak;

teeth ascending to erect, white or yellow, 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.

colored as bracts, proximally often paler, usually yellow throughout, 10–20 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–14 mm, 40–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–1.5 mm, 5–15% of calyx length;

lobes triangular, apex acute to rounded.

Filaments

glabrous.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Castilleja attenuata

Castilleja hyperborea

Phenology Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Jun. Flowering May–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat Grasslands, pastures, moist margins of springs and streams, damp rocky slopes. Dry to mesic rocky tundra, slopes, ridges, barrens and meadows, openings in boreal forests, arctic to alpine.
Elevation 0–2100 m. (0–6900 ft.) 0–2200 m. (0–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; OR; WA; BC; Mexico (Baja California); South America (Chile)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; BC; NT; YT; e Asia (Russian Far East)
[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 hyperborea is widespread across boreal, alpine, and arctic habitats in western Canada and Alaska, extending into the Russian Far East. A rare form with light purple bracts was named as C. kuschei. Another form with particularly long hairs found in the Kluane Lake region of the southern Yukon was described as C. villosissima and is usually found on calcareous substrates.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 590. FNA vol. 17, p. 614.
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. 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. 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 C. kuschei, C. villosissima
Name authority (A. Gray) T. I. Chuang & Heckard: Syst. Bot. 16: 656. (1991) Pennell: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 86: 532. (1934)
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