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coast paintbrush, Oregon coast paintbrush, Pacific paintbrush

Kaibab paintbrush, Kaibab Plateau Indian paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 1–9 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 1.5–3(–4) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

few to many, usually decumbent proximally, becoming ascending-erect, sometimes ascending, branched, sometimes with small, leafy axillary shoots, glabrate or ± pubescent distally, hairs sparse to moderately dense, spreading to ± appressed, short, soft, sometimes mixed with short-glandular ones below inflorescence.

solitary or few, sometimes several, erect or ascending, unbranched, rarely branched from base or from proximal inflorescence nodes, hairs spreading or reflexed, medium length, ± stiff, distally mixed with scattered, very short stipitate-glandular ones in inflorescences.

Leaves

green, lanceolate to oblong or narrowly ovate, (0.5–)3–8 cm, sometimes thickened, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, flat to involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acute to rounded;

lobes ascending or spreading, linear, narrowly lanceolate to oblong or triangular, short, apex acute to obtuse.

green, often with a dull red-purplish cast, linear to narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblong, (0.8–)1.5–4 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acuminate to acute;

lobes spreading-ascending, narrowly lanceolate, apex acute.

Inflorescences

2.5–21 × 3–5 cm;

bracts proximally green, distally bright red to crimson or orange-red, sometimes orange or pale yellow-orange, oblong to narrowly ovate or narrowly obovate, (0–)3–5-lobed, sometimes with a pair of small teeth;

lobes ascending, linear to oblong, medium length, arising in middle 1/3, central lobe apex obtuse to rounded or truncate, lateral ones ± acute.

2–6.5(–9) × 1.5–3.5 cm;

bracts yellow, pale orange, salmon, pink, dull brick red, or reddish orange throughout, rarely red, or proximally pale greenish, distally colored as above, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, 0–3(–7)-lobed;

lobes ascending to erect, linear to lanceolate, short to medium length, arising at or above mid length, central lobe apex obtuse, lateral ones obtuse to acute.

Pedicels

0–6 mm.

Corollas

straight or slightly curved, 23–38(–40) mm;

tube 10–20 mm;

abaxial lip often visible through front cleft, very rarely almost exserted, beak exserted;

beak adaxially green or yellowish, 10–16 mm, surface inconspicuously puberulent;

abaxial lip ascending, green, reduced, 1–2.5 mm, 10–20% as long as beak;

teeth erect or incurved, green or white, 1–2 mm.

straight or slightly curved, 21–30(–35) mm;

tube 13–19 mm;

beak subequal to calyx or exserted, adaxially green, 8–14 mm;

abaxial lip whitish to pink with deep green teeth, reduced, not exserted, sometimes visible through front calyx cleft, 0.5–2 mm, 5–15% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, dark green, 0.2–1 mm.

Calyces

colored as bracts, 17–25(–30) mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts (5–)7–15(–18) mm, 33–55% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1–3(–5) mm, 5–10% of calyx length;

lobes broadly triangular to oblong, apex obtuse to acute or rounded.

colored as bracts, 20–27(–30) mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 6.5–13(–18) mm, 40–60% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral (2–)4–7.5(–10) mm, 25% of calyx length;

lobes linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex rounded to acute.

2n

= 120, 144.

= 24.

Castilleja litoralis

Castilleja kaibabensis

Phenology Flowering (Apr–)May–Aug(–Sep). Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Steep rocky slopes, headlands, ledges, sea cliffs, coastal scrub, dune swales, roadcuts. Dry or exposed sites in subalpine meadows, low ridges and crests, openings in spruce-fir-aspen forests, fine silts and clay over limestone.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 2400–2800 m. (7900–9200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja litoralis never ranges more than one to two kilometers from the sea, from Humboldt County, California, north to Pacific County, Washington, near the mouth of the Columbia River. It is a high polyploid complex, possibly incorporating the genomes of several species, including C. affinis, C. miniata, and possibly C. hispida. The coastal C. miniata var. dixonii is very similar ecologically and morphologically but replaces C. litoralis from southwestern Washington to southern British Columbia. Compared to C. litoralis, C. miniata var. dixonii usually has somewhat longer corollas and corolla beaks, the latter with a more conspicuously puberulent surface and deeper lateral calyx clefts. Castilleja litoralis has been included as a subspecies of C. affinis by some (for example, M. Wetherwax et al. 2012), but the morphological resemblance to that species is far more tenuous than it is to C. miniata var. dixonii. Considering their very similar morphologies, along with the fact that both C. litoralis (2n = 120, 144) and C. miniata var. dixonii (2n = 96, 144) apparently combine multiple genomes, strongly suggest that they would best be treated as a single entity. Should they be combined at the species level following additional research, the name C. dixonii has priority.

Castilleja litoralis is often associated with salal, Gaultheria shallon, on which it is likely parasitic.

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

Castilleja kaibabensis is endemic to a few large meadow systems on the Kaibab Plateau, north of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Coconino County. Recreational activity, grazing, and road construction remain concerns for the management of this species.

Castilleja kaibabensis is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 624. FNA vol. 17, p. 616.
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. lineata, 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. 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. 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 C. affinis subsp. litoralis, C. wightii subsp. litoralis
Name authority Pennell: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 99: 183. (1947) N. H. Holmgren: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 100: 89, fig. 4. (1973)
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