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slender Indian paintbrush, slender paintbrush

Kaibab paintbrush, Kaibab Plateau Indian paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 2–5.5 dm; from a remote woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 1.5–3(–4) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

solitary, sometimes few, proximally creeping, becoming rhizomatous, erect to ascending distally, unbranched, sometimes branched, often glabrate proximally, hairy distally, hairs spreading, medium length and long, soft, mixed with much shorter stipitate-glandular ones near inflorescence.

solitary or few, sometimes several, erect or ascending, unbranched, rarely branched from base or from proximal inflorescence nodes, hairs spreading or reflexed, medium length, ± stiff, distally mixed with scattered, very short stipitate-glandular ones in inflorescences.

Leaves

green to purplish, linear-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate or narrowly oblong, 1.2–7.1 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, slightly involute, 0-lobed, apex acute to acuminate.

green, often with a dull red-purplish cast, linear to narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblong, (0.8–)1.5–4 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acuminate to acute;

lobes spreading-ascending, narrowly lanceolate, apex acute.

Inflorescences

4.5–18 × 1.5–6 cm;

bracts white, cream, pale yellow, pink, salmon, orange, or dull red throughout, or proximally greenish, distally as above, broadly lanceolate to oblong, 0–3(–5)-lobed;

lobes ascending to erect, lanceolate to triangular, often short, arising above mid length, apex obtuse or rounded, sometimes acute or acuminate.

2–6.5(–9) × 1.5–3.5 cm;

bracts yellow, pale orange, salmon, pink, dull brick red, or reddish orange throughout, rarely red, or proximally pale greenish, distally colored as above, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, 0–3(–7)-lobed;

lobes ascending to erect, linear to lanceolate, short to medium length, arising at or above mid length, central lobe apex obtuse, lateral ones obtuse to acute.

Corollas

± straight, 19–30 mm;

tube 11–19 mm;

beak exserted from calyx, adaxially green, 7.5–11 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, reduced, 1–2 mm, 20% as long as beak;

teeth incurved to erect, green, 0.5–1 mm.

straight or slightly curved, 21–30(–35) mm;

tube 13–19 mm;

beak subequal to calyx or exserted, adaxially green, 8–14 mm;

abaxial lip whitish to pink with deep green teeth, reduced, not exserted, sometimes visible through front calyx cleft, 0.5–2 mm, 5–15% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, dark green, 0.2–1 mm.

Calyces

colored as bracts, pigmentation often confined to lobes, 15–22 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–14 mm, 40–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–6.5 mm, 10–20% of calyx length;

lobes narrowly triangular to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute (to sometimes acuminate in Logan Valley).

colored as bracts, 20–27(–30) mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 6.5–13(–18) mm, 40–60% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral (2–)4–7.5(–10) mm, 25% of calyx length;

lobes linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex rounded to acute.

2n

= 48.

= 24.

Castilleja gracillima

Castilleja kaibabensis

Phenology Flowering May–Aug. Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Mesic or wet, usually flat meadows, sometimes near hot springs, along stream banks, montane. Dry or exposed sites in subalpine meadows, low ridges and crests, openings in spruce-fir-aspen forests, fine silts and clay over limestone.
Elevation 1600–2500 m. (5200–8200 ft.) 2400–2800 m. (7900–9200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja gracillima populations are centered around the Greater Yellowstone region, but its range extends sporadically west to central Oregon. It is sometimes confused with C. miniata, but differs from that species in its floral dimensions, mostly single-stemmed growth form, primarily white, yellow, or pinkish orange bract coloration, puberulent stems, and weakly rhizomatous habit. Where the two grow in the same general region, there is no clear evidence of hybridization; however, C. cusickii and C. gracillima form an extensive, sporadically intergrading population in the Logan Valley, Grant County, Oregon.

Plants attributed to this species from the Rocky Mountain trench near the head of the Columbia River in southeastern British Columbia or adjacent Alberta are a combination of several other species, especially Castilleja lutescens and C. miniata.

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

Castilleja kaibabensis is endemic to a few large meadow systems on the Kaibab Plateau, north of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Coconino County. Recreational activity, grazing, and road construction remain concerns for the management of this species.

Castilleja kaibabensis is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 611. FNA vol. 17, p. 616.
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. 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. 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. 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
Name authority Rydberg: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 34: 39. (1907) N. H. Holmgren: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 100: 89, fig. 4. (1973)
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