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linear-lobed paintbrush, lineated paintbrush, marsh-meadow Indian paintbrush

Mojave desert paintbrush, Mojave Indian paintbrush, Mojave paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 1–4 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 2.3–5.3(–6) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

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.

several, erect to weakly ascending, often leaning on nearby shrubs, much-branched, often with short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs sparse, spreading, short or long, soft, branched or unbranched, eglandular.

Leaves

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.

gray-green or green to purple to ± deep red, linear or linear-lanceolate, 2–5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane to ± wavy, flat or involute, 3–5(–7)-lobed, apex acuminate to acute;

lobes spreading-ascending, sometimes widely so, narrowly linear, apex acute or obtuse.

Inflorescences

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.

3–20 × 0.5–1.5 cm;

bracts green throughout, sometimes tinged dull purple, proximal sometimes linear-lanceolate, distal or all bracts oblong, 3–5(–7)-lobed;

lobes spreading to ascending, linear to oblanceolate, short to long, proximal lobes arising near mid length, sometimes wavy-margined, central lobe apex rounded to truncate, lateral ones obtuse to rounded.

Corollas

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.

straight, 13–20 mm;

tube 5–7 mm;

beak short-exserted, sometimes shorter than abaxial calyx segments, adaxially yellow, rarely greenish, 7–10 mm;

abaxial lip pale green to yellowish, reduced, 0.5–1.5 mm, 7–17% as long as beak;

teeth reduced to apiculations, pale green to yellowish, 0.5–0.8 mm.

Calyces

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.

light green, cream, or light yellow, often appearing white from dense white-woolly pubescence, 10–18 mm;

abaxial clefts 5–6.5 mm, closed by intertwined hairs and appearing 2 mm deep, adaxial 2.2–4.2 mm, abaxial ca. 25% of calyx length, adaxial ca. 20% of calyx length, shallower (or appearing much shallower), than laterals, lateral 4.6–7.5 mm, ca. 50% of calyx length;

lobes: abaxial segments broad, paddle-shaped, 7 mm, inner surface of abaxial segments densely white-woolly, apex rounded to broadly obtuse, adaxial narrowly triangular, 5 mm, apex acute.

2n

= 24.

Castilleja lineata

Castilleja plagiotoma

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Mar–Jul.
Habitat Dry to moist slopes and meadows, shores, open conifer forests, montane to alpine. Dry flats, rocky, sandy, or clayey slopes, ridges, sagebrush steppes, chaparral, desert scrub, pinyon woodlands.
Elevation 2100–3800 m. (6900–12500 ft.) 200–2500 m. (700–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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 plagiotoma is unique in the genus in the structure of its calyces, with the lateral clefts deeper than the median clefts. The relative lengths of the calyx lobes are also unique, with the abaxial lobes exceeding the adaxial lobes by 2–3 mm. The abaxial lobes also bear a dense indument of whitish, branched hairs. The uniformly greenish bracts are uncommon among perennial species of Castilleja. Castilleja plagiotoma is scattered in the western Mojave Desert and the hills adjacent to the southwestern San Joaquin Valley, California. While not of immediate conservation concern, this species is uncommon and increasingly threatened by recreational vehicles, livestock grazing, residential development, and resource extraction.

Castilleja plagiotoma is most often associated with and is likely parasitic on Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium, but it is also often observed with Artemisia tridentata or other species. It is a known larval host plant for the butterfly, Euphydryas editha subsp. erlichii.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 623. FNA vol. 17, p. 646.
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. lineariloba, 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. 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
Name authority Greene: Pittonia 4: 151. (1900) — (as Castilleia) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 19: 93. (1883) — (as Castilleia)
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