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Heckard's Indian paintbrush, Heckard's paintbrush

hairy paintbrush, parrot-head Indian paintbrush, pilose paintbrush

Habit Herbs or subshrubs, perennial, 1.5–4.5 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, (0.7–)1.2–3.5(–4.4) dm; from a woody caudex; with a stout taproot.
Stems

few to several, decumbent to erect, sometimes leaning, unbranched or often much-branched distally, with a few short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs spreading, short, soft, stipitate-glandular, mixed with long-spreading, eglandular ones.

several to many, ascending to erect, sometimes short-decumbent, branched or unbranched, sometimes with short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs moderately dense, retrorse or curved to spreading, straight, curly, or ± wavy, medium length to long, soft to stiff, eglandular.

Leaves

gray-green, sometimes green, lanceolate-linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1–6.5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes wavy, flat to involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acuminate;

lobes spreading-ascending, linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute.

green to purple, linear to lanceolate, 1–5.5(–8) cm, not fleshy, margins plane to ± wavy, involute, 0–5(–7)-lobed, apex acuminate to obtuse;

lobes widely spreading to ascending-spreading, linear to filiform, apex acute or obtuse.

Inflorescences

3–30 × 3–4 cm;

bracts proximally green to dark purplish, distally red to crimson, sometimes pale salmon, linear-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, 3–5-lobed;

lobes spreading, linear, long, arising below mid length, apex acute, sometimes obtuse.

(2–)3.5–16 × 1–3.5 cm;

bracts light green, green, yellow-green, light purple, purple, light dusky pink, salmon, or reddish brown throughout, or these colors proximally, distally or on distal margins white, pale yellow, yellow, pale salmon, or buff, sometimes becoming reddish purple with age, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate or narrowly ovate, 3–5(–9)-lobed, often wavy-margined;

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

Corollas

straight or slightly curved, 20–40 mm;

tube 15–23 mm;

abaxial lip exserted to included, beak much exserted;

beak adaxially yellow-green to reddish, 9–18 mm;

abaxial lip green, reduced, 0.5–1.5 mm, 5–20% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, green, (0–)0.5–1.5 mm.

straight, 14–23 mm;

tube 10–15;

abaxial lip sometimes partially exserted, beak exserted;

beak adaxially green or yellow-green, 3–7 mm;

abaxial lip proximally green, pale yellow, pale or bright pink, or deep purple, distally white to pink or purplish, inflated, pouches 3, deeply furrowed, 2.5–8 mm, 50–100% as long as beak;

teeth erect, green, white, buff, pink, or pale yellow, 1–2 mm.

Calyces

colored as bracts, 15–20 mm;

abaxial clefts 3.4–6.2 mm, adaxial 4.5–9 mm, clefts 25–33% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–2 mm, 5–10% of calyx length;

lobes narrowly triangular, often slightly unequal, apex acute.

proximally whitish to pale green, distally green, whitish, pink, or yellowish, 9–28 mm; all 4 clefts subequal, 2–12 mm, 45–55% of calyx length;

lobes linear to narrowly lanceolate or narrowly triangular, rarely deltoid, apex acute, rarely rounded.

2n

= 48, 72.

= 24, 48, 96.

Castilleja montigena

Castilleja pilosa

Phenology Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Dry rocky slopes, ledges, open conifer forests, thickets, washes.
Elevation 1900–2900 m. (6200–9500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja montigena is endemic to the northeastern portion of the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California. In the field, this species is consistently and relatively easily distinguished from nearby populations of C. martini var. martini, which it essentially replaces in the northeastern portion of the San Bernardino Mountains. It is apparently of allopolyploid hybrid origin between C. martini var. martini and C. chromosa, which approaches its range from the adjacent Mojave Desert.

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

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Castilleja pilosa is a widespread and variable complex similar in growth form and coloration to C. pallescens and related species. However, C. pilosa is distinguished with relative ease by its subequally divided calyces. Plants of the C. pallescens complex have very shallow lateral calyx lobes.

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

Key
1. Calyces 9–15(–20) mm; c, se Idaho, nw Wyoming, adjacent Montana.
var. longispica
1. Calyces (11–)14–28 mm; ne California, nw Nevada, e Oregon.
→ 2
2. Stem hairs spreading, ± wavy or curly, soft, (0.4–)0.8–1.3(–1.5) mm; sagebrush steppes, rocky slopes, ridges, seasonally moist meadows or pools, conifer forests, montane to subalpine; 500–2000(–3500) m; ne California, nw Nevada, e Oregon.
var. pilosa
2. Stem hairs retrorse or spreading, ± curved, stiff, 0.5–0.8(–1) mm; rocky slopes, ledges, dry meadows, sagebrush steppes, subalpine to alpine, volcanic soils; (1900–)2000–2900 m; Steens Mountain, se Oregon.
var. steenensis
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 632. FNA vol. 17, p. 644.
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. litoralis, C. lutescens, C. martini, C. mendocinensis, C. mexicana, C. miniata, C. minor, C. mogollonica, C. mollis, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
C. pilosa var. longispica, C. pilosa var. pilosa, C. pilosa var. steenensis
Synonyms Orthocarpus pilosus
Name authority Heckard: Syst. Bot. 5: 83, fig. 17 [center]. (1980) (S. Watson) Rydberg: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 361. (1900)
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