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colleagues paintbrush, collegial paintbrush

alpine paintbrush, rhexia-leaf paintbrush, Rocky Mountain paintbrush, rosy paintbrush, split-leaf Indian paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 1.1–2.8 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, (1–)2.5–6(–8) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

few to many, erect or ascending, short-decumbent at base, unbranched, hairs dense, spreading to erect, ± short, soft, usually stipitate-glandular, longer ones sometimes eglandular.

few to several, erect or ascending, unbranched, sometimes branched, proximally glabrous to glabrate, distally sparsely hairy, hairs spreading, ± long, soft, eglandular, sometimes stipitate-glandular.

Leaves

pale green to dull reddish maroon, linear to linear-lanceolate, 0.8–3.5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, slightly involute, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acuminate;

lateral lobes ascending to spreading, linear-lanceolate, usually arising from distal 1/2 of blade, usually narrower than central lobe, apex acuminate to acute.

green or purple-tinged, linear, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, oblong, or ovate, 3–6(–7) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat to slightly involute, prominently veined, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acute to rarely obtuse;

lobes ascending or spreading, linear to filiform, much smaller than mid blade, short, apex acute.

Inflorescences

10–40(–80 with age) × 0.5–2.5 cm;

bracts pale cream to pale greenish yellow throughout, often partly to entirely suffused with dull reddish purple to maroon, especially proximally, along veins, and with age, sometimes distal apices pale, dullish red, lanceolate to ovate, usually 3-lobed, central lobe sometimes with short teeth;

lobes spreading-ascending, linear-lanceolate, short to medium length, arising at or above mid length, apex acute.

2.5–15 × 1.5–4.5 cm;

bracts pink-purple, red-purple, purple, or crimson throughout, rarely reddish, yellowish, or white throughout, or proximally greenish, dull brownish purple, or deep purple, distally colored as above, broadly lanceolate to ovate or obovate, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed;

lobes ascending to erect, linear or lanceolate-acuminate, short, arising near or above mid length, central lobe apex obtuse to broadly rounded, lateral ones acute to sometimes rounded.

Corollas

straight, 16.5–25 mm;

tube 12–18 mm;

beak scarcely exserted, adaxially pale green to yellowish, 3–7 mm;

abaxial lip green, not inflated, grooved, 2.5 mm, 33–50% as long as beak;

teeth slightly incurved, white, 1 mm.

straight, 15–30(–36) mm;

tube (11–)12–22(–24) mm;

beak exserted, adaxially green, yellow, or tinged with red, 7–12 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, reduced, 1.5–3.5 mm, to 33% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, green or white, 0.5–2 mm.

Calyces

pale cream to pale greenish yellow, sometimes reddish violet to maroon on distal segments and/or with a thin vertical strip of pale reddish violet to maroon along veins, 11–20 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–12 mm, 60% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–1 mm, 5–10% of calyx length;

lobes triangular, apex acute to obtuse.

proximally green, purplish, or whitish, distally colored as bracts, 15–25 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 8–12(–15) mm, 40–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–5(–8) mm, 15–25(–30)% of calyx length;

lobes oblong to triangular or ovate, apex obtuse to rounded, sometimes acute.

2n

= 24, 48, 96.

Castilleja collegiorum

Castilleja rhexiifolia

Phenology Flowering late Jun–Jul. Flowering (Mar–)May–Sep.
Habitat Hummocks and margins of moist to wet meadows. Moist meadows, open forests, slopes and ridges, sun or shade, subalpine to alpine.
Elevation 1700–1800 m. (5600–5900 ft.) 1800–4000 m. (5900–13100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; NM; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja collegiorum is endemic to a large meadow system in the southern Cascade Range of Klamath County. It is similar to C. cryptantha in Washington and C. lemmonii in California but differs from both in structural details of the inflorescence, calyx, bracts, and leaves.

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

Castilleja rhexiifolia is a characteristic and common paintbrush in the Rocky Mountains region, from central Alberta to northern New Mexico. Disjunct populations also occur in northeastern Oregon, in the Blue, Ochoco, and Wallowa mountains, as well as near the summit of Abercrombie Mountain in the Selkirk Mountains of northeastern Washington. The inflorescence colors are variable. Typical plants are red-purple. However, many other shades of pink-white, pink-purple, and crimson are common as well. Many populations contain a wide range of color variants. Intergradation is occasionally seen with C. miniata, C. occidentalis, and C. septentrionalis. However, for the most part, these four species remain distinct, and their ranges are not entirely overlapping. In the Wallowa Mountains, a recurrent and variable hybrid form between C. chrysantha and C. rhexiifolia was described as C. wallowensis Pennell. In the north Cascade Range of Washington, plants of C. elmeri with crimson inflorescences are sometimes identified as C. rhexiifolia. In Glacier National Park, Montana, in the vicinity of Logan Pass, C. rhexiifolia frequently hybridizes with C. occidentalis, creating a number of hybrid morphologies. Both of the parents are common in the area. Similar hybrids are also found in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 598. FNA vol. 17, p. 651.
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. cinerea, C. citrina, C. coccinea, 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. 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
Synonyms C. oregonensis
Name authority J. M. Egger & S. Malaby: Phytoneuron 2015-33: 1, figs. 1–3, 9[left]. (2015) Rydberg: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 356. (1900) — (as rhexifolia)
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