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desert paintbrush

annual white paintbrush, hairy Indian paintbrush, hairy owl's-clover, hairy owl-clover, hairy paintbrush, slender paintbrush, thin paintbrush

Habit Herbs, sometimes subshrubs, perennial, 1.5–3.5(–4.5) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, annual, 0.45–5.2 dm; with a slender taproot or branched root system.
Stems

several to many, ascending to erect, often grayish, unbranched, rarely branched, sometimes with short, leafy axillary branches, hairs spreading-erect, long, stiff, eglandular, sometimes also with shorter, stipitate-glandular ones.

solitary, erect, unbranched or with few upright branches, hairs spreading, long, soft, mixed with shorter, eglandular and glandular ones.

Leaves

gray-green, linear, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, sometimes broadly lanceolate, (1.5–)2.5–6(–7) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed, sometimes with secondary lobes, apex acuminate to obtuse;

lobes spreading, linear, apex acuminate.

green to brown, proximal linear, distal lanceolate, 0.7–4(–8) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acuminate;

lobes ascending-spreading, very long linear, apex acute.

Inflorescences

2.5–15 (much longer in fruit) × 1.5–5.5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish to dull purplish, distally bright red to scarlet or orange-red, rarely yellowish to dull orange or pink, narrowly to broadly linear or lanceolate, narrowly ovate, or oblong-lanceolate, (0–)3–7-lobed, rarely with secondary lobes;

lobes spreading, linear to oblong, sometimes oblanceolate, often expanded near tip, long, proximal lobes arising below mid length, apex rounded or obtuse to sometimes acute.

2–25 × 1–3 cm;

bracts green, sometimes proximally green, distally dull brownish to deep purplish brown, lanceolate to narrowly ovate or ovate, (3–)5–7(–9)-lobed;

lobes ascending to erect, linear or narrowly lanceolate, long, proximal lobes arising below mid length, apex acute to acuminate.

Corollas

straight or ± curved, 18–35(–40) mm;

tube 8–15 mm;

beak short- or long-exserted, adaxially green to yellow-green, (9–)10–18 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, reduced, thickened, included to exserted, 2–3 mm, ca. 20% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, deep green, 0.5–1 mm.

straight to ± curved distally, 12–20 mm;

tube 9–14 mm;

abaxial lip and beak exserted;

beak adaxially white or pale yellowish, 3.5–5 mm, inconspicuously puberulent;

abaxial lip white or yellow, 3 small red-brown dots near base, inflated, pouches 3, 2–4 mm wide, 2 mm deep, 2–4 mm, 50–70% as long as beak;

teeth erect, white or yellow, 0.5–1 mm.

Calyces

colored as bracts, sometimes with broad yellow band below colored lobe apices, (17–)20–27 mm;

abaxial clefts 4–10 mm, adaxial 6–12 mm, abaxial ca. 30% of calyx length, adaxial ca. 40% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1–4 mm, ca. 15% of calyx length;

lobes oblong or ovate to narrowly triangular or lanceolate, apex obtuse to rounded.

green to brownish, margins sometimes deep purple or brown, 6–12 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 2–5 mm, 33–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–3.5 mm, 30–40% of calyx length;

lobes linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute to acuminate.

Stigmas

included within beak.

2n

= 24, 48.

= 24, 48.

Castilleja chromosa

Castilleja tenuis

Phenology Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Aug(–Nov). Flowering Feb–Sep.
Habitat Dry sagebrush slopes and flats, pinyon-juniper stands, blackbrush, open yellow pine forests. Moist flats, vernal pools, springs, damp meadows and ditches, riparian zones, sometimes over serpentine.
Elevation 500–3200 m. (1600–10500 ft.) 200–2800 m. (700–9200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; NM; NV; OR; UT; WY
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; WA; BC
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja chromosa is sometimes confused with 3b. C. angustifolia var. dubia (see discussion there). Castilleja chromosa retains its distinctive morphology across its wide range and is a characteristic species of much of the southwestern United States. Where it overlaps with C. angustifolia, the two are distinguished by inflorescence color and width and by the lengths of the calyx, corolla, and corolla beak. In the broad region of their sympatry, there is little evidence of intergradation, except in a few sites in Elko County, Nevada, and in southern Wyoming. Throughout southern Idaho and northeastern Nevada the range of the two overlap with little or no intergradation. At high elevations in Montrose County, Colorado, C. chromosa has narrower leaves and a longer and silkier pubescence, especially in the inflorescence. Apparent hybrids between C. chromosa and C. flava var. rustica are known from Custer County, Idaho, and hybrids with C. linariifolia are known from Montrose County, Colorado.

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

Castilleja tenuis is restricted to the east side of the Cascade Range in British Columbia and Washington and also occurs west of the Cascade-Sierra axis in the more arid terrain of California and Oregon. Plants in the Umpqua and Willamette valleys of western Oregon are often taller, more robust, and with slightly larger flowers than is typical in other regions. There are two color forms, with white or yellow corollas, but most individual populations are consistently unicolored. More investigation is needed to determine if corolla color is influenced by genetic and/or environmental factors. There is some evidence (T. I. Chuang and L. R. Heckard 1982) that the colors are correlated to chromosome number, with the white-flowered plants being diploid, while the yellow-flowered plants are tetraploid; however, there are exceptions. D. D. Keck (1927) cited some evidence for seasonal change, with yellow flowers occurring early, replaced with white flowers later in the season. However, no unequivocal evidence exists to support this hypothesis, and the apparently complete absence of yellow-flowered plants in Oregon makes this an unlikely explanation. Cropping by grazing animals results in occasional plants that branch. Plants with slightly curved corolla beaks were described as Orthocarpus falcatus but have no geographic integrity or taxonomic significance. Castilleja tenuis was collected as a waif in Skagway, Alaska, a century ago.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 595. FNA vol. 17, p. 660.
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. christii, 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. 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. thompsonii, C. tomentosa, C. uliginosa, C. unalaschcensis, C. victoriae, C. viscidula, C. wightii, C. wootonii, C. xanthotricha
Synonyms C. ewanii, C. martini subsp. ewanii, C. martini var. ewanii Orthocarpus tenuis, O. falcatus, O. hispidus
Name authority A. Nelson: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 26: 245. (1899) — (as Castilleia) (A. Heller) T. I. Chuang & Heckard: Syst. Bot. 16: 658. (1991)
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