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Monterey coast paintbrush, Monterey Indian paintbrush, Monterey paintbrush, seaside paintbrush

annual white paintbrush, hairy Indian paintbrush, hairy owl's-clover, hairy owl-clover, hairy paintbrush, slender paintbrush, thin paintbrush

Habit Herbs or subshrubs, perennial, 2–6 dm; from a woody caudex and sometimes from a woody proximal stem; with a taproot. Herbs, annual, 0.45–5.2 dm; with a slender taproot or branched root system.
Stems

many, spreading to erect, much-branched, with numerous short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs moderately dense, spreading, medium length to long, stiff to soft, shorter stipitate-glandular ones.

solitary, erect, unbranched or with few upright branches, hairs spreading, long, soft, mixed with shorter, eglandular and glandular ones.

Leaves

gray-green becoming ± purple to sometimes green as hairs are lost, oblong to lanceolate-oblong or broadly lanceolate, 0.5–2 cm, ± fleshy, cupulate, sometimes obscurely so on distal portion of stem, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, involute, 0–3-lobed, apex truncate or broadly rounded to obtuse;

lobes erect to ascending, oblong, apex rounded.

green to brown, proximal linear, distal lanceolate, 0.7–4(–8) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acuminate;

lobes ascending-spreading, very long linear, apex acute.

Inflorescences

2.5–20 × 1.5–5 cm;

bracts proximally green to dull, deep brownish purple, distally bright red, red-orange, or orange, sometimes yellow to yellow-orange, oblong or broadly lanceolate to widely obovate or ovate, often cup-shaped, center lobe often expanded distally, 0–3(–5)-lobed, often wavy-margined;

lobes ascending, oblong, short or long, arising near or above mid length, central lobe apex mostly rounded to truncate, sometimes with 5 or so very shallow teeth.

2–25 × 1–3 cm;

bracts green, sometimes proximally green, distally dull brownish to deep purplish brown, lanceolate to narrowly ovate or ovate, (3–)5–7(–9)-lobed;

lobes ascending to erect, linear or narrowly lanceolate, long, proximal lobes arising below mid length, apex acute to acuminate.

Corollas

slightly curved, 19–30 mm;

tube 8.5–15 mm;

beak exserted, adaxially green, 8.5–15 mm;

abaxial lip ascending, deep green, reduced, 0.5–1 mm, 5–10% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, reduced, green or white, 0.2–0.5 mm.

straight to ± curved distally, 12–20 mm;

tube 9–14 mm;

abaxial lip and beak exserted;

beak adaxially white or pale yellowish, 3.5–5 mm, inconspicuously puberulent;

abaxial lip white or yellow, 3 small red-brown dots near base, inflated, pouches 3, 2–4 mm wide, 2 mm deep, 2–4 mm, 50–70% as long as beak;

teeth erect, white or yellow, 0.5–1 mm.

Calyces

proximally light green to sometimes purple, distally colored as bracts, 15–25 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 6–9.5 mm, 33–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1–3 mm, ca. 12% of calyx length;

lobes broadly triangular to oblong, apex rounded to obtuse, rarely acute.

green to brownish, margins sometimes deep purple or brown, 6–12 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 2–5 mm, 33–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–3.5 mm, 30–40% of calyx length;

lobes linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute to acuminate.

Stigmas

included within beak.

2n

= 24.

= 24, 48.

Castilleja latifolia

Castilleja tenuis

Phenology Flowering Feb–Oct. Flowering Feb–Sep.
Habitat Coastal dunes and scrub, chaparral, grasslands, sandy bluffs. Moist flats, vernal pools, springs, damp meadows and ditches, riparian zones, sometimes over serpentine.
Elevation 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.) 200–2800 m. (700–9200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; NV; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja latifolia is endemic to the central California coast, especially around Monterey Bay. Around Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County, it apparently forms hybrids with C. affinis var. affinis. Records of this species from north of San Francisco and south of Monterey County are referable to other species.

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

Castilleja tenuis is restricted to the east side of the Cascade Range in British Columbia and Washington and also occurs west of the Cascade-Sierra axis in the more arid terrain of California and Oregon. Plants in the Umpqua and Willamette valleys of western Oregon are often taller, more robust, and with slightly larger flowers than is typical in other regions. There are two color forms, with white or yellow corollas, but most individual populations are consistently unicolored. More investigation is needed to determine if corolla color is influenced by genetic and/or environmental factors. There is some evidence (T. I. Chuang and L. R. Heckard 1982) that the colors are correlated to chromosome number, with the white-flowered plants being diploid, while the yellow-flowered plants are tetraploid; however, there are exceptions. D. D. Keck (1927) cited some evidence for seasonal change, with yellow flowers occurring early, replaced with white flowers later in the season. However, no unequivocal evidence exists to support this hypothesis, and the apparently complete absence of yellow-flowered plants in Oregon makes this an unlikely explanation. Cropping by grazing animals results in occasional plants that branch. Plants with slightly curved corolla beaks were described as Orthocarpus falcatus but have no geographic integrity or taxonomic significance. Castilleja tenuis was collected as a waif in Skagway, Alaska, a century ago.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 619. FNA vol. 17, p. 660.
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. hispida, C. hololeuca, C. hyperborea, C. indivisa, C. integra, C. kaibabensis, C. kerryana, C. kraliana, C. lacera, C. lanata, C. lasiorhyncha, C. lassenensis, 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. suksdorfii, C. tenuiflora, C. thompsonii, C. tomentosa, C. uliginosa, C. unalaschcensis, C. victoriae, C. viscidula, C. wightii, C. wootonii, C. xanthotricha
Synonyms Orthocarpus tenuis, O. falcatus, O. hispidus
Name authority Hooker & Arnott: Bot. Beechey Voy., 154. (1833) (A. Heller) T. I. Chuang & Heckard: Syst. Bot. 16: 658. (1991)
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