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Lemmon's Indian paintbrush, Lemmon's paintbrush

Victoria owl-clover, Victoria paintbrush, Victoria's owl's-clover, Victoria's owl-clover, Victoria's paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.8–2.5 dm; from a woody caudex; with slender, branching roots. Herbs, annual, 0.2–2 dm; with fibrous roots.
Stems

few to many, decumbent-based to erect, unbranched except for short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs sparse, spreading, medium length to long, soft and dense, short to medium length, stipitate-glandular.

solitary, erect, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs spreading, long, soft, mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones.

Leaves

green or gray-green to purple (sometimes different on stems of same plant), linear-lanceolate, distal sometimes broadly lanceolate, 0.5–4 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acute to acuminate;

lobes ascending, linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute to acuminate, rarely obtuse.

usually brownish throughout, sometimes greenish proximally, brownish distally, margins deep brown, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 0.5–2.7 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acute;

lobes spreading-ascending, linear to lanceolate, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded.

Inflorescences

2–12 × 1–3 cm;

bracts greenish to dull purplish or brownish throughout, or proximally greenish to dull purplish, distally pink to purple or magenta, rarely white, ovate, broadly lanceolate, or oblong, (0–)3–5-lobed;

lobes ascending to erect, lanceolate, medium length, arising above mid length, apex acute to rounded.

1–5 × 1.5–3 cm;

bracts dull reddish brown throughout, or proximally dull greenish, distally dull reddish brown, narrowly ovate, 3–7-lobed;

lobes ascending, lanceolate, medium length, arising near or above mid length, apex broadly acute or obtuse.

Corollas

slightly curved, 16–21 mm;

tube 10–16 mm;

abaxial lip sometimes partly exserted, beak usually exserted;

beak adaxially green, 6–7 mm, margins red;

abaxial lip greenish, inflated, pouches 3, shallow, central pouch shallowly grooved, visible through front cleft, 3–4 mm, 60% as long as beak;

teeth erect, violet-purple or pink, 1–2.5 mm.

straight, 10–18 mm;

tube 9–13 mm;

abaxial lip and beak exserted;

beak adaxially white, sometimes faintly diffuse purple, 3 mm, inconspicuously puberulent, hairs short stipitate-glandular;

abaxial lip yellowish, cream, or soft pale yellow, lacking spots, moderately conspicuous, pouches 3, conspicuous, 1–3 mm deep, central one furrowed, conspicuous, 2–2.5 mm, 60–75% as long as beak;

teeth erect, white or cream, 0.5–0.8 mm.

Calyces

proximally brown or dull magenta, sometimes green, distally colored as bracts, 12.5–18 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 5.5–10.5 mm, 40–65% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–2 mm, 5–15% of calyx length;

lobes oblong, apex rounded.

colored as bracts, 8–12 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 5–6 mm, 50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 3–4 mm, 30–40% of calyx length;

lobes linear-lanceolate, apex acute.

Stigmas

greenish to deep bluish purple.

included in beak.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Castilleja lemmonii

Castilleja victoriae

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering (Apr–)May–Jul.
Habitat Moist to wet meadows and flats, shorelines, open conifer forests, subalpine and alpine, often over granite. Vernal pools, springs, windswept, thin-soiled rocky knolls and benches by sea, gneiss.
Elevation 1500–3700 m. [4900–12100 ft.] 0–10 m. [0–30 ft.]
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
WA; BC
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

As delimited here, Castilleja lemmonii is endemic to the highlands of the Sierra Nevada in California and in adjacent Washoe County, Nevada. It differs from C. lassenensis, a plant of volcanic highlands around Mt. Lassen, which has consistently white corollas. Corollas are usually pink to purplish in C. lemmonii. Castilleja lemmonii also tends to have somewhat shorter lateral calyx clefts, though the two species overlap slightly in this character.

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

Castilleja victoriae was first collected in 1893 but not described until 2008. It is restricted to the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island, near Oak Bay, and to several small adjacent islands within a 30 km radius in British Columbia and Washington. Its primary habitat is small depressions and vernal pools on gentle gradients within 100 m of the sea, making it particularly vulnerable to development and recreational conflicts. Never common, several historic populations near Victoria were extirpated before the species was recognized. The majority of the global population is found on Trial Island. All known extant populations would be inundated by projected sea level increases and storm surges due to climate change. It should be considered globally endangered.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 620. Treatment authors: J. Mark Egger, Peter F. Zika, Barbara L. Wilson, Richard E. Brainerd, Nick Otting. FNA vol. 17, p. 663. Treatment authors: J. Mark Egger, Peter F. Zika, Barbara L. Wilson, Richard E. Brainerd, Nick Otting.
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. latifolia, 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. tenuis, C. thompsonii, C. tomentosa, C. uliginosa, C. unalaschcensis, C. viscidula, C. wightii, C. wootonii, C. xanthotricha
Synonyms C. culbertsonii
Name authority A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 2(1): 297. (1878) — (as Castilleia lemmoni) Fairbarns & J. M. Egger: Madroño 54: 335, figs. 1, 3 [lower right]. (2008)
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