Castilleja linariifolia
Castilleja nana
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
alpine paintbrush, dwarf alpine Indian paintbrush, dwarf alpine paintbrush, dwarf 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, ascending to decumbent-based, unbranched, hairs spreading, long, soft to stiff, mixed with shorter stipitate-glandular ones.
± 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, linear to narrowly lanceolate, (0.5–)1–2.5(–3.1) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat to slightly involute, 3(–7)-lobed, apex acuminate;
lobes ascending-erect, linear to filiform, apex acute to obtuse.
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.
15–20 × 1.5–3 cm;
bracts greenish or deep purplish throughout, or proximally greenish or deep purplish, distally white, pink, magenta, reddish purple, purple, or pale yellow, distal coloration often limited to apices and margins, broadly lanceolate or narrowly to broadly elliptic, 0–3(–7)-lobed;
lobes spreading, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, long, arising near mid length, apex acute or 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, 10–16(–19) mm;
tube 8–13 mm, with patches of blackish coloration on either side of distal portion;
beak subequal to calyx or exserted, adaxially green, yellow, whitish, or pink, 3–5.5 mm, scarcely exceeding abaxial lip, margins brown or burgundy, sometimes pink;
abaxial lip pale yellow, white, green, or purple, inflated, pouched, 2–5 mm, 65–95% as long as beak;
teeth erect to slightly spreading, white, yellow, or pink, 0.5–2.1 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.
green to purple, margins green, white, or pink, 10–19 mm;
abaxial, adaxial, and lateral clefts 3.5–7(–10) mm, 33–55% of calyx length, all 4 clefts subequal;
lobes linear, lanceolate-elliptic, or narrowly triangular, apex acute to rounded.
black.
= 24, 48.
= 24.
Castilleja linariifolia
Castilleja nana
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 nana is limited to high elevations in the Sierra Nevada of California and the Great Basin ranges in central Nevada and western Utah. Plants with pink to purple inflorescences were described as C. lapidicola. Localized hybrid swarms between C. nana and C. viscidula are known from several mountain ranges in central and northern Nevada. Castilleja nana is sometimes confused with higher elevation forms of C. pilosa but can usually be distinguished from that species by the blackish patches on the sides of the corolla tube. Divergent populations in the central Sierra Nevada and adjacent White Mountains deserve further study.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
SW CO Wildflowers
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
