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pale owl-clover, thin-lobed owl's clover

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

Habit Herbs, annual, 1.5–4.5 dm; with fibrous roots. Herbs or subshrubs, perennial, 2–6 dm; from a woody caudex and sometimes from a woody proximal stem; with a taproot.
Stems

solitary or few, erect, unbranched or branched, hairs spreading, short to long, ± stiff, mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones.

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.

Leaves

green, linear to narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblong, 2–5.7 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat, 3–7(–9)-lobed, apex acuminate to acute;

lobes spreading to ascending, linear to narrowly oblong, apex acuminate.

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.

Inflorescences

2–14 × 1–4 cm;

bracts greenish throughout, or proximally greenish, distally white, cream, pale pink, or pale purple on apices, linear-lanceolate, 5–7(–9)-lobed, sometimes with secondary lobes;

lobes ascending to spreading, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, long, arising all along leaf axis, apex acute to obtuse.

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.

Corollas

straight or slightly curved, 12–25 mm;

tube 9–14 mm, expanded distally;

abaxial lip sometimes slightly exserted, never hidden by slender calyx lobes, beak exserted;

beak straight, adaxially white or lilac pink, 3–5.5 mm, inconspicuously puberulent;

abaxial lip proximally white, distally yellow, with purple or red-brown spots, conspicuous, pouches 3, inflated, 4–6 mm, 4–5 mm wide, 2 mm deep, longer than deep, 1.5–4 mm, 90% as long as beak;

teeth erect, white, usually with purple spot at base, 0.5–1 mm.

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.

Calyces

colored as bracts, 15–25 mm; all 4 clefts subequal, 7–11 mm, 50–67% of calyx length;

lobes linear, apices often slightly expanded, apex obtuse to acute.

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.

Filaments

glabrous.

2n

= 20.

= 24.

Castilleja lineariloba

Castilleja latifolia

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun(–Jul). Flowering Feb–Oct.
Habitat Grasslands, moist meadows, swales, shores, forest openings. Coastal dunes and scrub, chaparral, grasslands, sandy bluffs.
Elevation 0–1600 m. (0–5200 ft.) 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja lineariloba is endemic to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Its chromosome number is 2n = 20, an apparent aneuploid reduction and documented by numerous counts. This diploid number is shared only with two very distantly related annual species endemic to central Mexico, C. gracilis Bentham and C. tenuifolia M. Martens & Galeotti.

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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 623. FNA vol. 17, p. 619.
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. lemmonii, C. leschkeana, C. levisecta, C. linariifolia, C. lindheimeri, 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. 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
Synonyms Orthocarpus linearilobus, O. mariposanus
Name authority (Bentham) T. I. Chuang & Heckard: Syst. Bot. 16: 657. (1991) Hooker & Arnott: Bot. Beechey Voy., 154. (1833)
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