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harsh Indian paintbrush, harsh paintbrush, hispid or harsh or bristly paintbrush

annual paintbrush, California threadtorch, lesser Indian paintbrush, little paintbrush, seep paintbrush, thread-torch paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 1.3–5(–6) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, annual, 2–10(–15) dm; with a short taproot or small, fibrous root system.
Stems

few to many, erect or ascending, unbranched, sometimes with inconspicuous, short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs spreading to erect, long, soft to stiff, mixed with shorter stipitate-glandular ones.

solitary or few, erect, unbranched, rarely branched distally, hairs sparse to dense, spreading, sometimes shaggy (var. minor), short to long, soft to stiff, eglandular and/or sparsely to densely stipitate-glandular.

Leaves

green, sometimes purple-tinged, margins sometimes red-brown, linear or narrowly to broadly lanceolate to narrowly oblong, oblanceolate, or ovate, 1–8.5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane or wavy, involute or flat, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed, apex acute to rounded or acuminate;

lobes ascending, linear to narrowly lanceolate, much narrower than mid blade, apex acute to rounded.

green or purple to ± gray, linear to lanceolate, 2–10 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes wavy, ± involute, 0-lobed, apex acuminate to acute, sometimes obtuse.

Inflorescences

3–16(–30 in fruit) × 2–5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish to dull reddish purple, distally red to orange or yellow, sometimes crimson, scarlet, orange-red, red-orange, or burnt orange, often becoming paler and/or duller with age, lanceolate to oblong, ovate, or obovate, 3–5(–11)-lobed;

lobes spreading to ascending, linear to oblong or narrowly lanceolate, medium length or long, arising at or above mid length, central lobe apex obtuse to rounded or truncate, sometimes emarginate, truncate, or acute, lateral ones acute to obtuse.

5–40 × 1–4 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally red, red-orange, or pale orange, rarely yellow, on apices, narrowly lanceolate, sometimes narrowly oblong to spatulate distally, 0-lobed, plane-margined, apex acuminate (oblong to narrowly spatulate in var. spiralis).

Corollas

slightly curved, 17–38 mm;

tube 12–18 mm;

beak exserted, adaxially green, sometimes yellowish, rarely red-brown, 9–20 mm;

abaxial lip ascending, deep green, reduced, curved, 0.5–3 mm, to 10–33% length of beak;

teeth incurved, reduced, green, 0.5–1.2 mm.

straight, 13–39 mm;

tube 11–16(–20) mm;

beak partially to completely exserted, sometimes included, adaxially yellow, pale orange to red-orange, reddish brown, green, or white, 5–15(–20) mm;

abaxial lip yellow, white, red, deep red, red-violet, or green, colored as or strongly contrasting with rest of corolla, small but jutting out at 90° from axis of corolla, often readily visible through abaxial cleft, 1–3 mm, 5–25% as long as beak;

teeth spreading to strongly incurved, green, white, yellow, red, or red-purple, 0.2–1 mm.

Calyces

colored as bracts, sometimes with a yellow band proximal to red to orange apices, or ca. 1/2 yellowish and 1/2 reddish, 12–35 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–12 mm, 33–65% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–7 mm, 15–30% of calyx length;

lobes triangular, linear, or oblong to lanceolate, apex acute or obtuse to rounded.

green or yellowish green, 13–27(–28) mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 6–15 mm, 33–75% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–4 mm, 5–20% of calyx length;

lobes linear to narrowly triangular or narrowly lanceolate, apex acute or acuminate.

2n

= 24, 48, 96.

= 24.

Castilleja hispida

Castilleja minor

Distribution
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; WA; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Castilleja hispida is likely related to C. chromosa, which replaces it geographically to the southeast.

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

Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).

Castilleja minor is a widespread specialist of seeps, saline shores, and wet ground at moderate elevations. California has many populations on serpentine substrates. Most of the varieties have distinct ranges with little overlap, with the exception of the edaphic obligate var. spiralis, which is restricted to serpentine substrates.

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

Key
1. Leaves (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed; calyx lobe apices obtuse to rounded; lateral calyx clefts 2–7 mm; Cascade Range and west to coast.
var. hispida
1. Leaves 0–3(–5)-lobed; calyx lobe apices acute; lateral calyx clefts 4.5–7 mm; e slope of Cascade Range to Alberta.
var. acuta
1. Corolla beaks 5–8(–10) mm, usually 1/3 or less of length of corollas, included to more often partially exserted from calyces.
→ 2
2. Abaxial lips of corollas red to reddish purple; leaves linear or linear-lanceolate, soft; mountains of c, e Arizona and adjacent New Mexico southward.
var. minor
2. Abaxial lips of corollas whitish, pale green, or pale yellowish; leaves linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, coarse; widespread in Great Basin region.
var. exilis
1. Corolla beaks 8–15(–20) mm, usually 1/3+ of length of corollas, exserted from calyces.
→ 3
3. Proximal bracts narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, distals oblong to narrowly spatulate, apices rounded or obtuse, rarely acute; abaxial lips of corollas red.
var. spiralis
3. Bracts linear to narrowly lanceolate, apices acuminate; abaxial lips of corollas whitish, rarely greenish or pale yellow (sometimes red in c Arizona).
var. stenantha
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 612. FNA vol. 17, p. 630.
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. gracillima, C. grisea, C. haydenii, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. hispida var. acuta, C. hispida var. hispida
C. minor var. exilis, C. minor var. minor, C. minor var. spiralis, C. minor var. stenantha
Synonyms C. affinis var. minor
Name authority Bentham: in W. J. Hooker, Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 105. (1838) (A. Gray) A. Gray: in W. H. Brewer et al., Bot. California 1: 573. (1876) — (as Castilleia)
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