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Christ's Indian paintbrush, John Christ's paintbrush

fraternal Indian paintbrush, fraternal paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 1.4–3 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 0.8–2.5 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

several, erect to ascending, unbranched, sometimes branched, glabrous or hairs spreading, short and long, ± stiff, sometimes stipitate-glandular especially distally.

few to many, ± curved at base, ascending or erect distally, unbranched, hairs moderately dense, spreading, medium length and long, soft, mixed with shorter stipitate-glandular ones.

Leaves

green, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, (1–)2–5(–6) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat or involute, (0–)3(–5)-lobed, apex acute to rounded;

lobes erect or ascending, linear, lanceolate, or triangular, sometimes very small, apex acute to rounded.

green, sometimes purple-tinged, lanceolate, broadly lanceolate, or narrowly ovate, 1–4.3 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, ± involute, 0–3-lobed, apex acute to acuminate;

lobes ascending, often narrowly oblanceolate, apex acute to acuminate.

Inflorescences

3–6 × 2–4 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally pale orange or pale yellow, sometimes red-orange, lanceolate or narrowly elliptic to ovate, sometimes obovate, 3–5-lobed;

lobes ascending, linear, medium length to long, arising at or below mid length, apex acute to obtuse.

3–8.5 × 1–4 cm;

bracts greenish or bright to sometimes dull red, sometimes scarlet, orange, or pale pink throughout, or proximally greenish, distally as above, ovate to elliptic, (0–)3-lobed;

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

Corollas

straight, 20–30 mm;

tube 12–19 mm;

beak exserted, adaxially green, 7–12 mm;

abaxial lip green, reduced, included or visible through cleft, 1.5–2 mm, 10–20% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, deep green, 1.5 mm.

straight or slightly curved, 20–40 mm;

tube 27 mm;

abaxial lip often visible in abaxial cleft, sometimes exserted, beak usually exserted from calyx;

beak adaxially green to yellow, 8–14 mm;

abaxial lip red, black, green, white, or green and white, ± prominent, slightly rounded, 1.5–5 mm, ca. 33% as long as beak;

teeth ascending, green, bright red, pink, white, or yellow, 0.5–3 mm.

Calyces

colored as bracts, 17–22(–24) mm;

abaxial clefts 9–12(–13) mm, adaxial 7–11 mm, clefts 50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–6.5(–8.5) mm, 20–50% of calyx length;

lobes lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute to obtuse.

brightly, conspicuously colored for at least distal 2/3, often throughout, providing much of inflorescence coloration, proximally pale whitish to pale pink, distally colored as in distal portion of bracts, sometimes colored throughout as in distal portion of bracts, 15–30 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–14 mm, 33–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1–5 mm, 5–15% of calyx length;

lobes narrowly to broadly triangular, apex rounded to acute.

Castilleja christii

Castilleja fraterna

Phenology Flowering Jun–Jul. Flowering Jul–Aug(–Sep).
Habitat Gentle slopes, mostly northern aspect, in herbaceous or grassy subalpine to alpine meadows, sagebrush openings and swales, snowbank communities, over quartzite. Moist or dry rocky slopes and flats, ridges, talus, dwarf willow mats, subalpine to alpine, rarely along stream channels at lower elevations, over sedimentary rocks, often limy.
Elevation 2100–2900 m. (6900–9500 ft.) 2000–2900 m. (6600–9500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
ID
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja christii is endemic to subalpine meadows near the summit of Mt. Harrison in the Albion Mountains, Cassia County. Morphologically, it most closely resembles the widespread C. hispida var. acuta, but a recent molecular study (D. L. Clay et al. 2012) presents clear evidence for a homoploid hybrid origin for the species, incorporating portions of the genomes of C. linariifolia and C. miniata. This is the first documented case of homoploid origin in Castilleja.

Castilleja christii is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

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

Castilleja fraterna is endemic to one ridge system in the Wallowa Mountains of northeastern Oregon. A parallel ridge system in the range has a second Wallowa Mountains endemic, C. rubida. Castilleja fraterna is colored similarly to C. miniata, but the petaloid teeth of the abaxial corolla lip are more like C. chrysantha. It is possible that C. fraterna was derived through hybridization, though its chromosome number is unknown. It resembles the newly described C. kerryana in Montana.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 595. FNA vol. 17, p. 609.
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. chlorotica, 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. 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
Name authority N. H. Holmgren: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 100: 91, fig. 5. (1973) Greenman: Bot. Gaz. 48: 147. (1909)
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