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Castilleja cryptantha

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

Suksdorf's Indian paintbrush, Suksdorf's paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, (0.8–)1–1.9 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 3–5(–8) dm; from slender, creeping rhizomes.
Stems

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

solitary, sometimes few, erect from a slender, creeping base, unbranched, glabrate or hairs spreading, long, soft to ± stiff and shorter, stipitate-glandular.

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, distal sometimes red-tipped, linear-lanceolate, sometimes distal broadly lanceolate or ovate, 1.2–8.9 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat or slightly involute, 0–5(–7)-lobed, apex acute to acuminate, sometimes obtuse or rounded;

lateral lobes spreading-ascending or widely spreading, linear, often much narrower than mid blade, apex acute.

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.

2.5–9(–11) × 2–5.5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally abruptly red to orange-red, often with a yellow, rarely purplish, medial band, narrowly lanceolate to ovate, 3–7(–11)-lobed;

lobes spreading to erect, linear, narrowly lanceolate, or narrowly 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.

± curved, 30–50 mm;

tube 11–18 mm;

beak exserted, adaxially green, 18–20 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, reduced, 1 mm, 10% as long as beak;

teeth ascending, deep green, 1 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, 20–30 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 11–18 mm, 50–75% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 8–12 mm, 30–50% of calyx length;

lobes linear, apex acute.

2n

= 24.

= 36.

Castilleja cryptantha

Castilleja suksdorfii

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug. Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Mesic to moist flat subalpine meadows and turf, to tree line. Mesic to wet meadows, marshes, peatlands, springs, stream margins, montane to subalpine.
Elevation 1500–2000 m. (4900–6600 ft.) 1000–2200 m. (3300–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR; WA
[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 suksdorfii is endemic to wet habitats in the Cascade Range from the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area in Yakima County, Washington, south to the vicinity of Crater Lake National Park in Klamath County, Oregon. Reports of this species farther north in Washington and southern British Columbia are referable to C. rupicola. Castilleja suksdorfii is a polyploid species and may be of hybrid origin.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 600. FNA vol. 17, p. 659.
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. 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. tenuiflora, C. tenuis, C. thompsonii, C. tomentosa, C. uliginosa, C. unalaschcensis, C. victoriae, C. viscidula, C. wightii, C. wootonii, C. xanthotricha
Name authority Pennell & G. N. Jones: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 50: 208. (1937) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 311. (1887)
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