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cock's-comb paintbrush, mountainside Indian paintbrush

Organ Mountain Indian paintbrush, Organ Mountains paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 1–5 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs or subshrubs, perennial, 2.7–8 dm; from a small, woody caudex; with thick, woody roots.
Stems

few to several, erect or ascending, unbranched or branched, sometimes with short, leafy axillary shoots, hairy, sometimes glabrate proximally, hairs spreading to retrorse, medium length to long, soft, eglandular, often mixed distally with shorter stipitate-glandular ones.

several to many, erect to sprawling, usually profusely branched, including many small, leafy axillary shoots, hairs dense, retrorse, medium length, stiff, eglandular, distally spreading, long, soft, sometimes matted, very short-glandular.

Leaves

green, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2–8 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, 0–5-lobed, apex acute;

lateral lobes spreading, linear, apex acuminate.

green, linear-lanceolate, distally sometimes broadly lanceolate, 2–4.5 cm on main branch, 0.5–1 cm on proximal part of side branches, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, sometimes flat, 0-lobed, apex acute to acuminate.

Inflorescences

3–6(–11) × 1.5–6.5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally red, red-orange, or orange, sometimes yellow or dull salmon, narrowly to broadly lanceolate or oblong, 3–5-lobed;

lobes ascending-spreading, linear-lanceolate, long, arising below mid length, central lobe apex rounded to obtuse, lateral ones acute.

2–4.5(–14 in fruit) × 1.5–4 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally red to reddish orange, broadly lanceolate to oblong, 0(–3)-lobed;

lobes ascending, lanceolate, short, arising above mid length, apex acute to obtuse.

Corollas

straight, (25–)30–40(–45) mm;

tube 15–20 mm;

abaxial lip visible through front cleft, beak long-exserted from calyx;

beak adaxially green or yellow-green, 16–21 mm;

abaxial lip proximally white or yellow-green, distally green, reduced, usually visible in front cleft, 3 mm, 20% as long as beak;

teeth incurved to ascending, green, 1 mm.

slightly curved, 15–24 mm;

tube 10–13 mm;

beak exserted, adaxially green, 6–10 mm;

abaxial lip green, reduced, slightly pouched, sometimes visible in front cleft, 0.5–1.5 mm, 15–20% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, white or green, 0.4–0.7 mm.

Calyces

colored as bracts, (20–)25–35 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts (6–)10–17 mm, 50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral (1–)3–6(–10) mm, 35% of calyx length;

lobes slender, triangular, apex acute.

proximally pale green to pale yellow-green, distally pale red to red-orange above middle, 12.5–20.5 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 6–9 mm, 33–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral (1.5–)3–4 mm, 20–35% of calyx length;

lobes lanceolate or broadly triangular, apex acute.

2n

= 96.

Castilleja crista-galli

Castilleja organorum

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jun–Oct.
Habitat Rocky slopes, talus, ridges, dry to moist, open, conifer forests, montane meadows. Rocky slopes, shaded canyons, riparian zones, open conifer forests, sun or partial shade.
Elevation 1500–2900 m. (4900–9500 ft.) 1500–2500 m. (4900–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NM
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja crista-galli is found in the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Montana and northwestern Wyoming. The extent of its distribution into adjacent Idaho is unresolved, in part because it is frequently confused with either C. linariifolia or C. miniata. Castilleja crista-galli appears to be morphologically intermediate between them, leading to speculation that it might be an allopolyploid derivative. A DNA study (S. Matthews and M. Lavin 1998) showed little support for a hybrid origin. Castilleja crista-galli may be separated with some difficulty from the other two species by the presence of at least some short hairs on the stems and the frequently three- to five-parted leaves. Castilleja linariifolia and C. miniata both usually have subglabrous stems and entire leaves, sometimes three-parted distally, near the inflorescence.

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

Castilleja organorum is endemic to the Organ Mountains of Doña Ana County. Reports from the mountains of the Mogollon Rim of east-central Arizona and adjacent New Mexico are based on specimens of C. nelsonii. Castilleja organorum is grouped with C. linariifolia by some authors (for example, G. L. Nesom 1992c), but it has subequal abaxial and adaxial calyx clefts and is more likely closely related to C. integra. Castilleja organorum differs from the latter species in its loose, often profusely branched habit, more compact inflorescences, and usually smaller corollas. In Fillmore Canyon, C. integra, C. lanata, and C. organorum are all found, but each is in a different habitat, and there is no sign of hybridization.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 599. FNA vol. 17, p. 636.
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. collegiorum, C. covilleana, 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. 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 Rydberg: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 355. (1900) Standley: Muhlenbergia 5: 86. (1909)
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