Castilleja cryptantha
Castilleja organorum
Mt. Rainier or obscure paintbrush, obscure Indian paintbrush, obscure paintbrush
Organ Mountain Indian paintbrush, Organ Mountains paintbrush
few to several, erect or ascending, unbranched, hairs spreading, long, soft, eglandular, mixed with short 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.
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, 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.
(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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
= 24.
Castilleja cryptantha
Castilleja organorum
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 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.)
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