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ash-gray Indian paintbrush, ash-gray paintbrush

dwarf pale paintbrush, pale Indian paintbrush, pale paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.5–3 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, (0.4–)1–3 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

several to many, erect to ascending, or decumbent, inflorescence erect in high-elevation form, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs dense, spreading, ashy gray, short and long, soft, mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones.

few to many, erect to ascending, decumbent at base, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs moderately to very dense, retrorsely curved to appressed, short, ± stiff, eglandular.

Leaves

green, brown, purple, or deep gray, linear or narrowly to broadly lanceolate to sometimes ovate, 0.7–3 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, slightly involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acuminate;

lobes ascending to spreading, linear to lanceolate, apex acuminate.

purple-tinged or deep purple, sometimes green, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1–4(–5) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, ± involute, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed, apex acute;

lobes spreading or ascending-spreading, linear, apex acute.

Inflorescences

1–8.5 × 2–5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish or deep reddish purple, distally burnt orange, sometimes yellow or deep red to deep burgundy, proximal sometimes lanceolate with narrow lobes, distal or all bracts broadly lanceolate to oblong or slightly oblanceolate, (0–)3–5-lobed, appearing dusty with dense, short stipitate-glandular hairs, many with a nodulose to pillarlike, crystallized, usually pigmented exudate, papillose at 40x;

lobes ascending-spreading, oblong or oblanceolate, short, arising above mid length, central lobe apex rounded, often expanded, rounded, or truncate, lateral ones acute to rounded.

(1.5–)4–8(–12) × 1.5–5.5 cm;

bracts pale green to yellow-green or reddish purple throughout, or proximally pale green to yellow-green, distally white to cream or pale yellowish, sometimes pink to reddish purple, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, elliptic, or ovate, 3–5(–9)-lobed;

lobes spreading to ascending, linear, long, arising along distal 2/3, apex acute to obtuse.

Corollas

straight, 12–18 mm;

tube 9–14 mm;

beak included or tip just barely exserted, adaxially green or pale yellow to deep burgundy, 3–5 mm;

abaxial lip green, burgundy, or reddish purple (in high-elevation form), little inflated, small, included, 2 mm, to 20% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, green, 0.2–0.5 mm.

straight, 13–23(–27) mm;

tube 10–20 mm; subequal to calyx or beak slightly exserted;

beak adaxially whitish or buff, rarely pink to pink-purple, 3.5–8 mm;

abaxial lip proximally green, white, purple, or purplish brown, distally white, yellow, green, pink, or reddish, prominent, pouched, pouches pleated, longer than deep, gradually expanded, 2.5–8 mm, 70–100% as long as beak, puberulent;

teeth erect to spreading, pink, cream, or white, sometimes with a yellow spot proximally, 1.5–3.5 mm.

Calyces

colored as bracts, sometimes whitish proximally, 1.5–20 mm (shorter in upper elevation form);

abaxial and adaxial clefts 3.5–8 mm, 30–50% of calyx length, all 4 clefts subequal;

lobes linear to narrowly oblong or oblanceolate, apex obtuse to rounded, densely stipitate-glandular.

colored as bracts, sometimes distally purple with age, 11–25(–27) mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–13.6 mm, 40–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–4.3(–6) mm, (0–)5–25% of calyx length;

lobes lanceolate to triangular, apex usually triangular or acute, rarely ± obtuse.

2n

= 24, 48.

Castilleja cinerea

Castilleja pallescens

Phenology Flowering May–Aug(–Oct).
Habitat Dry rocky slopes, ridges, and flats, pebble plains, sagebrush openings, open conifer forests.
Elevation 1800–3100 m. (5900–10200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; NV; OR; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja cinerea is endemic to the higher elevations of the San Bernardino Mountains, San Bernardino County. Most plants are upright to ascending and have yellow to yellow-orange inflorescences, with occasional plants ranging to dull red, especially with age. On Sugarloaf Mountain, mostly above 2700 m, is a distinctive form with consistently reddish purple to burgundy inflorescences and a strongly decumbent growth form.

Castilleja cinerea is most often associated with and likely parasitic on Artemisia nova and Eriogonum species. Castilleja cinerea is known from few populations and is threatened by livestock grazing, development, and vehicle use. It is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of the United States.

The crystalline exudate associated with the stipitate-glandular pubescence of the distal portion of the bracts is unique in the genus.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Castilleja pallescens occurs from valleys to alpine ridges and summits throughout its range, usually in sagebrush communities, but at higher elevations it is also found on dry sites associated with other plant species. The alpine plants are greatly reduced in stature.

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

Key
1. Bracts not rigid, veins inconspicuous, usually same color as surfaces; herbs (0.5–)1–3 dm; ne Idaho, sw Montana, nw Wyoming.
var. pallescens
1. Bracts rigid, veins prominent, pale and contrasting with color of surfaces; herbs 0.4–1.2(–1.7) dm; s, se Idaho, ne Nevada, Oregon.
var. inverta
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 597. FNA vol. 17, p. 637.
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. chromosa, C. chrymactis, C. chrysantha, 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. 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. pallescens var. inverta, C. pallescens var. pallescens
Synonyms Orthocarpus cinereus Orthocarpus pallescens
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 19: 93. (1883) — (as Castilleia) (A. Gray) Greenman: Bot. Gaz. 25: 266. (1898) — (as Castilleia)
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