Castilleja linariifolia
Castilleja mollis
desert paintbrush, desert paintbursh, linaria-leaf Indian paintbrush, narrow leaf paintbrush, narrow-leaf Indian paintbrush, Wyoming Indian paintbrush, Wyoming or narrow-leaf or long-leaf paintbrush, Wyoming paintbrush
soft leaf Indian paintbrush, soft-leaf paintbrush
few to many, ascending to erect, much-branched, glabrous proximally, hairy distally, sometimes glabrous or hairy throughout, hairs sparse, sometimes dense, spreading to slightly retrorse, short to long, ± stiff, eglandular.
few to several, ± prostrate, sometimes ascending, much-branched, with dense, matlike growth form, often with short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs dense, tangled, short to long, fairly stiff, branched, sometimes glandular, white-woolly.
± yellow to gray-green, sometimes becoming ± purple, linear to narrowly lanceolate, (1–)2–10 cm, not fleshy, rarely ± thickened and fleshy, margins plane, involute, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acute or acuminate;
lobes spreading, linear, apex acute to acuminate.
green to deep purple, narrowly elliptic to oblong, ovate, or obovate, 1–3 cm, ± fleshy, margins plane or ± wavy, flat, 0-lobed, apex rounded, rarely acute.
4–20 × 2–7.5 cm;
bracts red to red-orange throughout, sometimes pale green, yellow, magenta, pink-purple, or white throughout, or proximally pale greenish to straw colored, distally colored as above, lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblong, 3(–5)-lobed;
lobes spreading to ascending, narrowly lanceolate to linear, shorter than central lobe, arising in proximal 1/3, apex obtuse to acuminate.
usually erect, 2.5–8 × 1.5–4 cm;
bracts proximally greenish, distally pale to bright yellow, sometimes brownish orange, sometimes with brownish orange medial band, oblong, elliptic, or obovate, ± cup-shaped, ± fleshy, 0–3-lobed;
lobes erect, oblong, short, arising near tip, central lobe apex rounded to truncate, sometimes crenate or with obtuse teeth, lateral ones obtuse.
often slightly curved, 25–45 mm;
tube 11–22(–25) mm;
beak exserted, longer than calyx lobes, usually projecting through abaxial cleft;
beak adaxially yellow-green or green, 9–21(–24) mm;
abaxial lip deep green, reduced, often visible in exserted sideways through abaxial calyx cleft, 0.5–3 mm, 10–15% as long as beak;
teeth incurved, green or whitish, 5–2(–3) mm.
straight, 17–26 mm;
tube 12–13 mm;
beak often slightly exserted, adaxially green to yellow-green, 11–13 mm;
abaxial lip green, reduced, 1.5–3.5 mm, 10–20% as long as beak;
teeth incurved, reduced, green, 0.5–1 mm.
proximally greenish, whitish, or yellowish, distally colored as bracts, 18–30(–35) mm;
abaxial clefts 10–20(–22) mm, adaxial 2–6(–12) mm, abaxial ca. 70% of calyx length, adaxial ca. 20–25% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1.5–5(–6) mm, 12–17% of calyx length;
lobes curved slightly toward adaxial side, narrowly oblong to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute.
colored as bracts, lacking orange central band, 16–23 mm;
abaxial clefts 9.5–14 mm, adaxial 8 mm, abaxial 50–67% of calyx length, adaxial 35–45% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 4.5–5 mm, 20–25% of calyx length;
lobes oblong to triangular, abaxials sometimes wider than adaxials, apex acute to rounded, inner surface glabrous.
= 24, 48.
= 24.
Castilleja linariifolia
Castilleja mollis
Castilleja linariifolia is widespread in the western United States and is important to Native Americans as a source of dyes and for medicinal and ceremonial purposes (D. E. Moerman 1998). It is the state flower of Wyoming. Castilleja linariifolia is closely associated with, and undoubtedly parasitic on, the roots of sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata. The bracts are usually red to red-orange, with uncommon yellow-bracted variants. On the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada in California, most populations have pink-purple to magenta bracts, and at least one population has almost pure white bracts. Plants associated with hot springs in the Ash Meadows area of Nye County, Nevada, are unusually tall and have somewhat fleshy leaves. Castilleja linariifolia stems are usually glabrous, but pubescent stems are sporadic across its range. However, in the Mt. Charleston area of the Spring Mountains, in southern Nevada, most plants are pubescent, ranging from an inconspicuous layer to a fairly dense and obvious indument. These plants have been called forma omnipubescens Pennell. Elsewhere, especially in central and northern Arizona, individuals with short-pubescent stems are intermingled with more typical plants. In addition, late-blooming forms associated with hot spring sites in the eastern Mojave Desert are particularly thick-stemmed and vigorous. Hybrids between C. linariifolia and C. scabrida are known from Garfield County, Utah. Castilleja linariifolia is parapatric with the similar C. wootonii in central New Mexico. Castilleja linariifolia is reported to hybridize with C. chromosa, C. flava, and C. miniata. A possible hybrid with C. septentrionalis was named C. ×cognata Greene.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Castilleja mollis is federally listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of the United States. It is endemic to the coastal terraces of the northern portion of Santa Rosa Island, Santa Barbara County, in the northern Channel Islands of southern California. It is recorded historically from San Miguel Island. Much of the available low-elevation habitat on Santa Rosa Island was degraded by trampling and grazing of introduced ungulates, which also resulted in the apparent loss of a natural population on the western end of San Miguel Island, last seen in the 1930s and now believed extirpated. Reports of C. mollis from the Oso Flaco Lake area of the mainland, in San Luis Obispo County, are based on populations of C. affinis var. contentiosa. Castilleja mollis is most closely related to C. latifolia of the central California coast and a sister species to the north, C. mendocinensis.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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