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Castilleja brevilobata

short-lobed paintbrush

magenta paintbrush, mountain Indian paintbrush, mountain or rosy or small-flower paintbrush, small-flower paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 1–5 dm; from a branched, woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, (0.6–)1–4(–5) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot or stout, branched roots.
Stems

solitary or few, erect or ascending, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs spreading, short, medium, and long, soft, short and medium ones short stipitate-glandular.

several or many, erect or ascending, unbranched except for short, leafy axillary shoots, glabrate proximally, hairy distally, hairs sparse, spreading, ± matted, long, soft, minute-glandular.

Leaves

green or ± yellow, lanceolate, elliptic, or oblong to narrowly ovate, 1–2(–2.5) cm, not fleshy, margins plane or wavy, involute, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed, apex rounded to acute;

lobes ascending to erect, linear to lanceolate, apex rounded to acute.

green or gray-green to purple-tinged or deep purple, often blackening on drying, narrowly to broadly lanceolate or elliptic, rarely linear, 1.5–5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, flat, (0–)3–9-lobed, apex acute to acuminate or obtuse;

lobes spreading or ascending, linear, sometimes lanceolate, much narrower than terminal lobe, evenly spaced, short, apex acute.

Inflorescences

3–20 × 2–3.5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish to dull brown, distally red, orange-red, or scarlet, sometimes orange or yellow, broadly lanceolate or oblong, (0–)3–5-lobed;

lobes ascending, broadly to narrowly lanceolate, short, arising above mid length, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded.

2–16 × 1–3.5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, dull, deep purple, or reddish purple, distally pink, pink-purple, magenta, deep rose, crimson, cream, or white, sometimes red, pale orange, or red-orange, lanceolate to broadly elliptic or ovate, 3–7-lobed;

lobes spreading to ascending, linear, lanceolate, or lanceolate-acuminate, short to medium length, arising at or near mid length, apex obtuse to acute, central lobes sometimes rounded.

Corollas

straight, 15–24(–26) mm;

tube 12–16 mm;

beak exserted, abaxial lip equal to calyx;

beak adaxially green or ± yellow-green, 7–10 mm, puberulent, stipitate-glandular;

abaxial lip deep green, reduced, rounded, 1–2 mm, 10–25% as long as beak;

teeth incurved to erect, light green, 0.5–1 mm.

straight or slightly curved, 12–30 mm;

tube 8–19 mm;

beak exserted or subequal to calyx, adaxially green-yellowish or red, 5.5–11 mm;

abaxial lip green, brown, or yellow, sometimes purple, reduced, slightly or not inflated and pouched, 1–3 mm, 20–45% as long as beak;

teeth erect, green, white, yellow, pink, or red, 0.5–2 mm.

Calyces

green or whitish with green veins, lobes colored as bract lobes or paler, 14–30 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 5.5–8.5 mm, 30–40% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1.5–4 mm, 20–25% of calyx length;

lobes oblong to narrowly triangular, apex obtuse to rounded.

colored as bracts, 12–28 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 6–15 mm, 40–70% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1–8 mm, 10–35% of calyx length;

lobes narrowly to broadly triangular, sometimes distally expanded and flaring, petaloid, apex obtuse or acute, sometimes rounded.

2n

= 24.

= 24, 48.

Castilleja brevilobata

Castilleja parviflora

Phenology Flowering Mar–Aug.
Habitat Dry savannas, rocky slopes and open conifer forests, on serpentine.
Elevation 200–1700 m. (700–5600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; OR; WA; AB; BC; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja brevilobata is endemic to dry serpentine openings in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon and adjacent California. Although sometimes treated as part of C. applegatei or C. hispida, its morphology does not suggest a close connection with either. This species occasionally hybridizes with C. pruinosa in Del Norte County, California.

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

Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).

Castilleja parviflora is a complex, geographically widespread, and often misunderstood species ranging from southeastern Alaska through much of British Columbia, southwestern Yukon, and the Rocky Mountains of extreme western Alberta and southward in the Cascade Range to central Oregon.

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

Key
1. Corollas (18–)20–30 mm; calyces 20–28 mm; leaves (0–)3(–5)-lobed; Oregon, Washington.
var. oreopola
1. Corollas 12–20(–25) mm; calyces 12–20(–28) mm; leaves (0–)3–9-lobed; Washington to Alaska, Alberta, and Yukon.
→ 2
2. Bracts distally white to cream, sometimes suffused with pink to purple; herbs 0.6–2.7 dm; n Cascade Range, Washington and s British Columbia.
var. albida
2. Bracts distally pink-purple, magenta, deep rose, or crimson, rarely white; herbs 1.2–5 dm; Olympic Mountains, Washington, w Canada, se Alaska.
→ 3
3. Leaves (3–)5–9-lobed; corolla beaks 5.5–7 mm; Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska.
var. parviflora
3. Leaves (0–)3(–5)-lobed; corolla beaks (5.5–)7–9(–11) mm; s Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Olympic Mountains, Washington.
var. olympica
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 591. FNA vol. 17, p. 640.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Castilleja Orobanchaceae > Castilleja
Sibling taxa
C. affinis, C. ambigua, C. angustifolia, C. applegatei, C. aquariensis, C. arachnoidea, C. attenuata, 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. 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. parviflora var. albida, C. parviflora var. olympica, C. parviflora var. oreopola, C. parviflora var. parviflora
Synonyms C. hispida subsp. brevilobata
Name authority Piper: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 33: 104. (1920) Bongard: Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Pétersbourg, sér. 6, Sci. Math. 2(2): 158. (1832)
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