Castilleja cryptantha |
Castilleja densiflora |
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Mt. Rainier or obscure paintbrush, obscure Indian paintbrush, obscure paintbrush |
dense-flower owl's-clover, denseflower Indian paintbrush |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial, (0.8–)1–1.9 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. | Herbs, annual, 0.7–4.7 dm; with fibrous roots. | ||||||||
Stems | few to several, erect or ascending, unbranched, hairs spreading, long, soft, eglandular, mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones. |
solitary, erect, branched, sometimes unbranched, glabrous or glabrate proximally, pubescent distally, hairs moderately dense, spreading, short to long, soft, eglandular, often mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones (except var. obispoënsis). |
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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. |
pale green, linear to broadly lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, or ovate, 1.4–9 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat or slightly involute, (0–)3–5-lobed, apex acuminate; lobes ascending, linear to narrowly to sometimes broadly lanceolate, apex acuminate to acute. |
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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. |
1–16(–20) × 2.5–4 cm; bracts proximally greenish to deep purple, distally white, or pink to pink-purple or reddish purple on apices, if white sometimes aging pink, lanceolate, 3–5-lobed; lobes ascending, linear to oblanceolate, long, arising below mid length, apex acute to acuminate. |
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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, 14–29 mm; tube expanded distally; abaxial lip and beak exserted from or equal to calyx; beak straight, adaxially pink, purple, or white, if white often aging light pink, (4–)5–7 mm, densely puberulent, hairs often stipitate-glandular; abaxial lip proximally white or pink to deep purple, expanded part white throughout, or proximally white or purple, or green becoming light pink with age, distally white or yellow (sometimes becoming orange with age), purple or maroon spots or blotches on each lobe, inflated, lobes 3, pouches gradually (to abruptly) widened, 4–6 mm wide, 2–3 mm deep, deeper than tall, 3–7 mm, 80–100% as long as beak; teeth erect, pink, white (often turning pink with age), chartreuse, or purple, sometimes with deep purple spot at base, 1–2.5 mm. |
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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, 5–20 mm; abaxial and adaxial clefts 4.7–15 mm, 33–90% of calyx length, slightly deeper than laterals or all 4 clefts subequal, lateral 3–8 mm, 33–60% of calyx length; lobes linear to narrowly oblanceolate, apex acute. |
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Filaments | glabrous. |
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2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
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Castilleja cryptantha |
Castilleja densiflora |
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Phenology | Flowering Jul–Aug. | |||||||||
Habitat | Mesic to moist flat subalpine meadows and turf, to tree line. | |||||||||
Elevation | 1500–2000 m. (4900–6600 ft.) | |||||||||
Distribution |
WA
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CA; Mexico (Baja California)
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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.) |
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora). Castilleja densiflora is often confused with C. exserta, and both species are broadly overlapping in both range and habitat, often occurring in close proximity. However, intermediates are remarkably rare. The two are most easily separated by the structure and pubescence of the corollas. In addition to the characters mentioned in the key, C. densiflora usually has a bilobed stigma that is exserted from the apex of the corolla with a more or less vertical orientation, while that of C. exserta emerges horizontally and is capitate. These differences are remarkably consistent. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 600. | FNA vol. 17, p. 601. | ||||||||
Parent taxa | Orobanchaceae > Castilleja | Orobanchaceae > Castilleja | ||||||||
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Synonyms | Orthocarpus densiflorus | |||||||||
Name authority | Pennell & G. N. Jones: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 50: 208. (1937) | (Bentham) T. I. Chuang & Heckard: Syst. Bot. 16: 656. (1991) | ||||||||
Web links |