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

green tinged paintbrush, green-tinged or Gearheart Mountain paintbrush, greentinge Indian paintbrush

dense-flower owl's-clover, denseflower Indian paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.8–3.1 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, annual, 0.7–4.7 dm; with fibrous roots.
Stems

several to many, erect to ascending, unbranched, sometimes branched near base, hairs spreading, long, soft, eglandular, mixed with dense, short stipitate-glandular ones.

solitary, erect, branched, sometimes unbranched, glabrous or glabrate proximally, pubescent distally, hairs moderately dense, spreading, short to long, soft, eglandular, often mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones (except var. obispoënsis).

Leaves

green, narrowly to broadly lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 9–35 cm, not fleshy, margins wavy, involute, 0(–3)-lobed, distal sometimes 3-lobed, apex narrowly acuminate;

lobes ascending or spreading, linear to lanceolate, apex acute to obtuse.

pale green, linear to broadly lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, or ovate, 1.4–9 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat or slightly involute, (0–)3–5-lobed, apex acuminate;

lobes ascending, linear to narrowly to sometimes broadly lanceolate, apex acuminate to acute.

Inflorescences

3–9(–18) × 2–3 cm;

bracts green to pale green to rarely dull purplish brown throughout, distally rarely with pale yellow apices, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly elliptic to sometimes broadly lanceolate, 3-lobed, wavy-margined;

lobes spreading or ascending, narrowly lanceolate, medium length, arising at or above mid length, sometimes wavy-margined, apex obtuse to acute.

1–16(–20) × 2.5–4 cm;

bracts proximally greenish to deep purple, distally white, or pink to pink-purple or reddish purple on apices, if white sometimes aging pink, lanceolate, 3–5-lobed;

lobes ascending, linear to oblanceolate, long, arising below mid length, apex acute to acuminate.

Corollas

conspicuously decurved distally, 18–22 mm;

tube 11–14 mm;

beak exserted, adaxially green to yellow-green or yellow, 6–8 mm;

abaxial lip green, reduced, fleshy, included, 1.5–2 mm, 25% as long as beak, sparsely hairy, hairs spreading;

teeth ascending, green, 0.5–1 mm.

straight, 14–29 mm;

tube expanded distally;

abaxial lip and beak exserted from or equal to calyx;

beak straight, adaxially pink, purple, or white, if white often aging light pink, (4–)5–7 mm, densely puberulent, hairs often stipitate-glandular;

abaxial lip proximally white or pink to deep purple, expanded part white throughout, or proximally white or purple, or green becoming light pink with age, distally white or yellow (sometimes becoming orange with age), purple or maroon spots or blotches on each lobe, inflated, lobes 3, pouches gradually (to abruptly) widened, 4–6 mm wide, 2–3 mm deep, deeper than tall, 3–7 mm, 80–100% as long as beak;

teeth erect, pink, white (often turning pink with age), chartreuse, or purple, sometimes with deep purple spot at base, 1–2.5 mm.

Calyces

green or yellowish green, 15–19 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 9–11 mm, 60% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 3.5–7 mm, 15–25% of calyx length;

lobes broadly or narrowly triangular, taller than wide, apex acute to obtuse.

colored as bracts, 5–20 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 4.7–15 mm, 33–90% of calyx length, slightly deeper than laterals or all 4 clefts subequal, lateral 3–8 mm, 33–60% of calyx length;

lobes linear to narrowly oblanceolate, apex acute.

Filaments

glabrous.

2n

= 24.

Castilleja chlorotica

Castilleja densiflora

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Dry open pine forests, often with sagebrush understory, rocky ridges and summits, montane to subalpine.
Elevation 2000–2500 m. (6600–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja chlorotica is an uncommon to rare endemic on dry slopes in Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and possibly Crook counties in central Oregon. The hooked corolla beak and greenish bracts, often aging purplish distally, help distinguish it from similar species such as C. glandulifera and yellow forms of C. applegatei var. pinetorum.

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

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Castilleja densiflora is often confused with C. exserta, and both species are broadly overlapping in both range and habitat, often occurring in close proximity. However, intermediates are remarkably rare. The two are most easily separated by the structure and pubescence of the corollas. In addition to the characters mentioned in the key, C. densiflora usually has a bilobed stigma that is exserted from the apex of the corolla with a more or less vertical orientation, while that of C. exserta emerges horizontally and is capitate. These differences are remarkably consistent.

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

Key
1. Bracts distally white, rarely pale yellow; coastal grasslands; San Luis Obispo County, sc California.
var. obispoënsis
1. Bracts distally pink to pink-purple to red-purple, rarely white; near-coastal and interior grasslands; widespread in w California.
→ 2
2. Abaxial lips of corollas appearing slightly inflated, pouches widening gradually, longer than deep, 3–7 mm; calyces 8–20 mm.
var. densiflora
2. Abaxial lips of corollas appearing moderately inflated, pouches widening abruptly, deeper than long, 4–5 mm; calyces 5–11 mm.
var. gracilis
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 594. FNA vol. 17, p. 601.
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. chambersii, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. densiflora var. densiflora, C. densiflora var. gracilis, C. densiflora var. obispoënsis
Synonyms Orthocarpus densiflorus
Name authority Piper: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 33: 104. (1920) (Bentham) T. I. Chuang & Heckard: Syst. Bot. 16: 656. (1991)
Web links