Castilleja lineata
Castilleja hololeuca
linear-lobed paintbrush, lineated paintbrush, marsh-meadow Indian paintbrush
Channel Islands paintbrush, island paintbrush, island white-felted paintbrush, white-felted paintbrush
few to many, erect or strongly ascending, unbranched except for small, leafy axillary shoots, hairs spreading-reflexed to ± appressed, matted, long, soft, with much shorter stipitate-glandular ones, white-woolly.
many, erect to spreading, much-branched with many short axillary shoots, proximal stems reaching 1+ cm wide, white-felted, hairs dense, spreading to ± appressed, intertwined, long, soft, slightly branched, obscuring surface.
green, linear to narrowly oblong or narrowly lanceolate, 1.3–5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes wavy, involute, 3–7-lobed, apex acute;
lobes divergent, spreading-ascending, linear, apex acute to acuminate.
ash gray, leaves of previous year persisting on proximal stem, linear, older leaves sometimes broadly linear, 1–5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, 0-lobed, apex obtuse;
lobes ascending, linear-lanceolate, apex obtuse to rounded, sometimes acute.
5–22 × 1–4.5 cm;
bracts green to yellow-green throughout, or proximally green to yellow-green, distally yellow to sometimes pale yellow-orange, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly oblong or broadly lanceolate, 3(–7)-lobed;
lobes ascending to spreading, linear to oblong, medium length to long, arising near or below mid length, central lobe apex rounded to obtuse, lateral ones acute.
3–16 × 2–4 cm;
bracts pale gray-green throughout, or proximally pale gray-green, distally red or yellow, proximal linear, distal broader, often oblanceolate to obovate, (0–)3-lobed;
lobes spreading, linear to oblong, short to long, arising below mid length, apex rounded to truncate or acute.
straight or slightly curved, 14–22 mm;
tube 7–14 mm;
beak tip barely exserted from calyx;
beak adaxially greenish, 4–7 mm;
abaxial lip green to yellow, reduced, 1–4 mm, usually less than 67% as long as beak;
teeth erect, white to yellow, 1–2.5 mm.
slightly curved in proximal 1/3, 14–26(–31) mm;
tube 9–17 mm;
abaxial lip not exserted, beak exserted;
beak adaxially green to yellowish, 11–14 mm;
abaxial lip ascending, deep green, reduced, 2–3 mm, less than 33% as long as beak;
teeth reduced to apiculations, deep green, 1–1.5 mm.
colored as bracts, 15–20 mm;
abaxial and adaxial clefts 5.5–8 mm, 30–50% of calyx length, ± deeper than laterals, sometimes appearing subequal in pressed specimens, lateral 5–6 mm, ca. 33% of calyx length;
lobes linear to narrowly lanceolate, sometimes expanded towards apices, apex acute.
colored as bracts, with conspicuous whitish veins, 14–18(–20) mm;
abaxial and adaxial clefts 5–12 mm, 30–67% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0 mm or nearly so, ca. 0% of calyx length;
lobes linear-lanceolate, apex rounded, truncate, or emarginate.
= 24.
Castilleja lineata
Castilleja hololeuca
Castilleja lineata is restricted to the mountains of northeastern Arizona, southern Colorado, and northwestern New Mexico. It is uncommon throughout its range and is without apparent close relatives. The Navajo used C. lineata as a medicinal plant and for its sweet nectar (D. E. Moerman 1998).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Castilleja hololeuca is endemic to the four major islands of the northern Channel Islands. It is similar to C. lanata, a mostly Mexican species that reaches Arizona, New Mexico, and southwest Texas. However, C. hololeuca appears to be more closely related to C. foliolosa, a species of the California mainland. These three species, and C. galehintoniae G. L. Nesom of Nuevo León, all share a distinctive, thick indument of pale, matted, and often branched hairs on the stems and leaves. Large individuals of C. hololeuca form thick, woody trunks. On Anacapa Island, closest to the mainland, red-flowered forms of C. hololeuca predominate. On Santa Cruz Island, to the west, both red- and yellow-bracted forms are fairly common, usually in separate populations. Further offshore, on San Miguel and Santa Rosa islands, most plants are yellow to, occasionally, peach in coloration. Reports of this species from Santa Barbara and Santa Catalina Islands are referable to other species, mostly C. foliolosa. Populations of C. hololeuca historically declined from grazing by introduced game and livestock species. The plants are recovering well, following removal of the grazing animals, and are now common in many areas, especially on San Miguel Island.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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