The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links
Castilleja chambersii

Chambers' Indian paintbrush, Chambers' paintbrush

Kerry's Indian paintbrush, Kerry's paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 1.5–3.7 dm; from a thick, woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 0.5–19 dm; from a branching, woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

solitary or few to several, ascending, sometimes short-decumbent and rooting, branched from near base, sometimes distally, glabrous or glabrate with hairs very sparse, ± appressed, very short, soft, eglandular.

few to many, short-decumbent, becoming upright-ascending, unbranched, hairs moderately dense, spreading to erect, medium length and long, soft, mixed with shorter stipitate-glandular ones.

Leaves

green, often brown- or purple-tinged, oblong to lanceolate to narrowly ovate or ovate, (1–)2–5.8 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, ± involute, deeply 3–7(–11)-lobed, sometimes with secondary lobes, apex narrowly acute;

lobes erect to ascending, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate to oblanceolate, apex acute.

greenish to dull purplish brown, linear to linear-lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblong, 1–7 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, (0–)3-lobed, apex acute, distalmost obtuse to rounded;

lobes erect, linear-lanceolate to narrowly long-triangular, usually shorter and narrower than central lobe, usually arising at or above mid length, apex acute to rounded.

Inflorescences

3–15 × 2–4.5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally bright red, scarlet, or pale reddish orange, rarely orange-yellow, often fading to pale yellowish orange with age, obovate to orbicular, fan-shaped, (3–)5–9(–13)-lobed, sometimes with secondary lobes;

lobes erect or ascending, lanceolate to triangular, short and medium length, usually arising at or above mid length, rarely below, apex acute.

2.5–8 × 2–5(–8) cm at midflowering;

bracts red to red-orange, crimson, or magenta throughout, sometimes green, pale orange, rose red, salmon, or yellow throughout, or proximally greenish or dull reddish, distally colored as above, lanceolate to elliptic or oblong, 3(–5)-lobed;

lobes ascending to erect, linear to lanceolate or narrowly oblong, short or medium length, arising near or above mid length, central lobe apex rounded to acute, lateral ones acute to obtuse.

Corollas

straight, 30–45 mm;

tube 14–19 mm;

beak long-exserted, adaxially green or yellow-green to brownish, 18–24 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, reduced, 1–3 mm, 10% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, greenish to dull purplish, 0.5–1.5 mm.

straight or slightly curved, 24–45(–50) mm;

tube 22–38 mm;

beak and abaxial lips conspicuously exserted;

beak adaxially green to yellow, 8–11 mm;

abaxial lip ascending, green, sometimes yellowish or black, slightly inflated, visible through front cleft and subequal to calyx, 4–6.5 mm, 33–50% as long as beak;

teeth ascending, pink, white, or rose red, 1–4 mm.

Calyces

proximally green, sometimes purple to brown, distally colored as bracts, 20–30 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–14 mm, ca. 33% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–4 mm, 10–15% of calyx length;

lobes triangular, barely longer than wide, apex acute or acuminate to obtuse.

colored as bracts, 24–44 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 9–18 mm, 30–45% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1–4 mm, 5–10% of calyx length;

lobes lanceolate to ovate, apex rounded to acute.

2n

= 24.

Castilleja chambersii

Castilleja kerryana

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jul–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat Turf or crevices on rocky slopes and benches over basalt, se to sw aspect, sun or partial shade. Moist to dry, rocky or gravelly slopes and ridges, scree, talus, krummholz, turf or fellfields, snowfield or meltwater margins, subalpine to alpine, Cambrian limestone.
Elevation 600–1000 m. (2000–3300 ft.) 2100–2900 m. (6900–9500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
MT
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja chambersii is limited to the summits of three volcanic peaks in the northern Coast Range of Clatsop County, Oregon, and at one similar area in nearby Pacific County, Washington. It is similar to C. rupicola, and the two likely share a common ancestor. Disturbance and erosion from logging and road construction represent significant threats to C. chambersii. Populations of C. chambersii often grow near and even alongside C. hispida, but hybrids are rare.

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

Castilleja kerryana is endemic to alpine peaks and ridges around the Scapegoat Plateau of Lewis and Clark County, in the eastern Rocky Mountains of central-western Montana. It is closely associated with and probably parasitic on Dryas hookeriana.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 593. FNA vol. 17, p. 616.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Castilleja Orobanchaceae > Castilleja
Sibling taxa
C. affinis, C. ambigua, C. angustifolia, C. applegatei, C. aquariensis, C. arachnoidea, C. attenuata, C. brevilobata, C. brevistyla, C. campestris, C. cervina, 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. 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
Name authority J. M. Egger & Meinke: Brittonia 51: 445, fig. 1. (1999) J. M. Egger: Phytoneuron 2013-21: 2, figs. 1–6, 10. (2013)
Web links