Flora of North America species comparison

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Castilleja miniata

Castilleja miniata var. dixonii

common paintbrush, common red paintbrush, giant red Indian paintbrush, great red paintbrush, scarlet Indian paintbrush, scarlet or common or giant red paintbrush, scarlet paintbrush
Photo is of parent taxon

Dixon's paintbrush, giant red Indian paintbrush, scarlet paintbrush
Habit Herbs, perennial, 1.2–8(–10) dm; from a woody caudex (or slender rooting rhizomes in var. dixonii, var. miniata); with a taproot or with slender, branched roots from a rhizome. Herbs 1.2–4.7 dm; with a taproot or with slender, branched roots from decumbent proximal stems.
Stems

few to many, erect to ascending, rarely proximally decumbent or creeping and rooting at nodes, usually branched, glabrous, glabrate, or hairy, hairs spreading to ± retrorse, short to long, soft to stiff, rarely stipitate-glandular.

glabrous or glabrate proximally, sometimes sparsely hairy distally, hairs spreading to ± retrorse or appressed, short, soft, rarely mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones near inflorescence.
Leaves

green to purple, linear to lanceolate, narrowly elliptic, narrowly oblong, or ovate, (1.5–)3–8(–9.5) cm, thin and not fleshy or slightly to moderately thickened and slightly fleshy, margins plane, rarely wavy, flat to involute, whole leaf sometimes recurved downward, 0(–5)-lobed, apex acute to obtuse, sometimes rounded;

lobes ascending-spreading, narrowly lanceolate, apex acute.

spreading to ascending, narrowly lanceolate to oblong, sometimes narrowly elliptic to ovate, thin and not fleshy or often slightly to moderately thickened and slightly fleshy, margins plane, flat to slightly involute, 0(–5)-lobed, apex acute to obtuse or rounded, sometimes acuminate.
Bracts

distally scarlet, red, orange-red, or light red, sometimes with medial region ± darkened, 0–5-lobed;

lobe apex obtuse to rounded or acute.
Inflorescences

3–15(–22) × 1.5–5.5 cm, often bearing a thin, white, powdery exudate, especially on bract surfaces;

bracts greenish, scarlet, red, red-orange, or pale orange throughout, sometimes pink, magenta, pink-purple, yellow, greenish yellow, white, or salmon throughout, or proximally greenish, distally colored as above, lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 0–5(–7)-lobed, central lobes sometimes distally apiculate;

lobes erect, linear to lanceolate, oblong, or oblanceolate, short or medium length, arising near or above mid length, central lobe apex obtuse, rounded, or truncate, lateral ones rounded to acute or acuminate.

Pedicels

0–5 mm.

Corollas

slightly curved, 20–48 mm;

tube 12–26 mm;

abaxial lip usually not exserted, though often visible in front calyx cleft, beak partially to fully exserted;

beak adaxially green to yellow-green or whitish, (9–)14–25 mm;

abaxial lip incurved or ascending, deep green or green, sometimes deep purple or yellowish, reduced, not inflated, visible in front cleft, 0.5–3.5 mm, 5–20% as long as beak (to ca. 33% as long as beak in some populations of var. miniata);

teeth incurved or erect, green or white, 0.7–1.5 mm.

25–46 mm;

beak 11–25 mm, adaxial surface ± conspicuously puberulent;

abaxial lip green, 1–2 mm, 5–10% as long as beak.
Calyces

colored as bracts, 15–38 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 4–24 mm, 35–70% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral (1–)3–8(–12) mm, 5–30% of calyx length;

lobes linear or narrowly lanceolate to narrowly triangular, apex acute to acuminate or obtuse.

17–28 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–15 mm, 35–55% of calyx length, abaxial slightly deeper than adaxial or subequal, lateral 2–7 mm, 15–30% of calyx length;

lobes linear or narrowly lanceolate to narrowly triangular, apex acute, sometimes obtuse.
2n

= 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144.

= 96, 144.

Castilleja miniata

Castilleja miniata var. dixonii
Phenology Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat Rocky islands, moist sand, vegetated dunes, sea bluffs, headlands, coastal scrub, upper margin of tidal flats.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; ON; SK; YT; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR; WA; BC
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 4 (4 in the flora).

Castilleja miniata is widely recognized as the common scarlet paintbrush. It is highly variable and has five levels of polyploidy. Nonetheless, it remains fairly well defined morphologically across its wide range. Native Americans use it medicinally. A probable hybrid with C. septentrionalis from southern Nevada was named C. ×porterae Cockerell.

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

Variety dixonii is found on the outer coast, from Clatsop County, Oregon, to Vancouver Island and the mainland shore of southwestern British Columbia, as well as along the shores and some of the islands of Puget Sound. Variety dixonii can be difficult to separate morphologically from var. miniata, but var. dixonii occurs strictly in low-elevation, sandy, coastal habitats and differs somewhat inconsistently in a number of minor traits, especially in the leaves. Variety miniata usually occurs at considerably higher elevations in this region. Variety dixonii is also very similar to, if not conspecific with, Castilleja litoralis, which has a more or less shorter corollas and corolla beaks and other minor differences. The corolla beaks of var. dixonii have more or less longer hairs and are more obviously puberulent. It is tempting to merge C. litoralis into var. dixonii, especially since both entities are known to be high polyploids, but this is premature. Despite the attention of many botanists, the species of Castilleja along the Pacific coast are still in need of comprehensive study and delimitation. Also see the comments under 62. C. litoralis.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Bracts distally pale yellowish, pale orange, or salmon, sometimes pale red; n, c British Columbia, adjacent wc Alberta, s Yukon.
var. fulva
1. Bracts distally scarlet, red, or orange-red, sometimes orange, pink, pink-purple, magenta, pale orange, yellow, greenish yellow, or white; widespread in much of w North America south of the arctic.
→ 2
2. Stems glabrous or glabrate proximally, hairy medially and distally; leaves appressed-ascending, ascending, or spreading, often thickened and slightly fleshy; calyx lobe apices acuminate; Cuyamaca, Laguna, San Bernardino and e San Gabriel mountains of sw California.
var. oblongifolia
2. Stems glabrous or sparsely hairy proximally and medially, subglabrous or sparsely hairy distally; leaves spreading to ascending, thin and not fleshy (except sometimes in var. dixonii); calyx lobe apices acute to acuminate or obtuse; widespread in w North America.
→ 3
3. Leaves linear to lanceolate, narrowly elliptic, or narrowly oblong, apices acute to acuminate, sometimes obtuse; calyx lobe apices acute, sometimes acuminate or obtuse; widespread in w North America, except near coast.
var. miniata
3. Leaves narrowly lanceolate to ovate, narrowly elliptic, or narrowly oblong, apices rounded to obtuse, sometimes acute to acuminate; calyx lobe apices acute to obtuse; coastal, from extreme nw Oregon northward to British Columbia.
var. dixonii
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 627. FNA vol. 17, p. 628.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Castilleja Orobanchaceae > Castilleja > Castilleja miniata
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. litoralis, C. lutescens, C. martini, C. mendocinensis, C. mexicana, 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. miniata var. fulva, C. miniata var. miniata, C. miniata var. oblongifolia
Subordinate taxa
C. miniata var. dixonii, C. miniata var. fulva, C. miniata var. miniata, C. miniata var. oblongifolia
Synonyms C. dixonii, C. miniata subsp. dixonii
Name authority Douglas ex Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 106. (1838) (Fernald) A. Nelson & J. F. Macbride: Bot. Gaz. 65: 70. (1918)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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