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Castilleja cryptantha

Mt. Rainier or obscure paintbrush, obscure Indian paintbrush, obscure paintbrush

Coville's Indian paintbrush, Coville's or cushion or Rocky Mountain paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, (0.8–)1–1.9 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 1–3(–4) dm; from a stout, woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

few to several, erect or ascending, unbranched, hairs spreading, long, soft, eglandular, mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones.

several, erect or ascending, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs sparse, spreading or retrorse, moderately long, soft, crisped, eglandular, mixed with shorter ones.

Leaves

green, often with brown or purple veins, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 1.5–4 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, ± involute, 0–3-lobed, apex acute to acuminate;

lobes spreading-ascending, narrowly lanceolate, apex acute to ± obtuse.

green, brown, or purple, linear to lanceolate, 1.5–6 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, rarely ± wavy, involute, 3–5(–7)-lobed, apex acuminate to acute;

lobes widely spreading, deep, linear to narrowly lanceolate, lateral lobes not much narrower than central one, apex acuminate.

Inflorescences

(2.5–)3–6 × 1–2 cm; green to dull brown or dull reddish purple throughout, or proximally green to dull brown or dull reddish purple, distally yellow on apices, broadly lanceolate to ovate, (0–)3-lobed;

lobes ascending, narrowly lanceolate, long or short, arising near mid length, apex acute or acuminate.

3–22 (longer in fruit) × 1–5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish to deep purplish, distally bright red or scarlet, sometimes orange to pale yellow, linear, (3–)5–7-lobed, sometimes with secondary lobes;

lobes spreading, linear to oblanceolate, long, arising below mid length, apex acute to obtuse.

Corollas

straight, 14–16 mm;

tube 11–14 mm;

whole corolla included within calyx;

beak adaxially pale yellow, 1–2 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, slightly inflated, 4–5 mm, 67% as long as beak;

teeth ascending, pale, 1.5–2 mm.

straight, 20–35 mm;

tube 13–23 mm;

beak and usually part of abaxial lip exserted;

beak adaxially green, 6.9–13 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, reduced, thickened, included or visible through front calyx cleft, 1.7–3.8 mm, 10–25% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, yellow or deep green, 0.7–1.7 mm.

Calyces

proximally green or pale with green veins, lobes yellow, sometimes becoming deep red with age, 12–15 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 3–7 mm, 25–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1–3(–4) mm, 8–20% of calyx length;

lobes triangular, adaxial segments longer than abaxials, apex acute or obtuse.

colored as bracts, sometimes paler proximally, 15–26(–33) mm;

abaxial clefts 4–7.4 mm, adaxial 7–10 mm, abaxial 21–37% of calyx length, adaxial 28–51% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1.5–3.5(–5) mm, 8–18% of calyx length;

lobes lanceolate to triangular, apex acute.

2n

= 24.

= 48.

Castilleja cryptantha

Castilleja covilleana

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug. Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Mesic to moist flat subalpine meadows and turf, to tree line. Rocky slopes, ledges, talus, ridges, open conifer forests, moist to dry substrates, montane to alpine.
Elevation 1500–2000 m. (4900–6600 ft.) 1200–3100 m. (3900–10200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja cryptantha is endemic to the vicinity of Mt. Rainier in the Cascade Range, with most populations found within Mt. Rainier National Park. Unlike most species of Castilleja, it is apparently self-pollinating (W. J. Duffield 1972); the small flowers are entirely enclosed within the yellowish calyces, which tend to grow deep reddish as they age. The purplish brown bracts are also unusual in the genus.

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

Castilleja covilleana is endemic to the mountains of central Idaho and adjacent southwestern Montana. A collection of unusually tall plants was described as C. multisecta. Castilleja covilleana is closely related to C. rupicola.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 600. FNA vol. 17, p. 599.
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. crista-galli, 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. 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
Synonyms C. multisecta
Name authority Pennell & G. N. Jones: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 50: 208. (1937) L. F. Henderson: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 27: 353. (1900) — (as Castilleia)
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