The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

snow Indian paintbrush, snow paintbrush, snowy paintbrush

Huachuca Mountain Indian paintbrush, native paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.5–1.6 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 1.7–6 dm; from a slender, woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

few to several, erect to ascending, decumbent at base, unbranched except for small, leafy axillary shoots, hairs weakly spreading to appressed, ± matted, especially distally on stem, fairly short and sparse proximally, longer and denser distally, soft, eglandular, becoming woolly, often obscuring surface.

few to many, erect or ascending, much-branched with many short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs recurved to retrorse, short, ± stiff, eglandular, often with some spreading, long ones.

Leaves

gray with hairs, surface green to purple, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1–3.8 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, involute, 0–3-lobed, apex acute;

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

green, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, 1–3.5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, flat to involute, (0–)3–7-lobed, apex acute to obtuse;

lateral lobes spreading, linear, much shorter and narrower than terminal lobe, apex acute.

Inflorescences

2.5–6 × 1–2.5 cm;

bracts greenish to pale yellow-green or very pale, dull purplish throughout, lanceolate to oblong, (0–)3(–5)-lobed;

lobes usually ascending, linear, medium length to long, arising near mid length, apex acute.

3–17 × 2–7.5 cm;

bracts green throughout, sometimes distalmost proximally green, distally red or red-orange on apices, lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, (0–)3–5-lobed;

lobes spreading, linear or narrowly lanceolate, short, arising near or below mid length, central lobe apex obtuse to rounded, lateral ones acute.

Corollas

straight, 18–25 mm;

tube 3.5–5.5 mm; subequal to calyx, or beak and sometimes abaxial lip exserted;

beak adaxially yellow, 6–8 mm, hairs moderately long, matted on midline, very short-glandular on sides;

abaxial lip green, inconspicuous, slightly pouched, 3.5–5.5 mm, 60–90% as long as beak;

teeth erect, white or yellow, 0.5–3 mm.

slightly curved, (24–)27–43 mm;

tube 9–20 mm;

beak longer than calyx, exserted through abaxial cleft, adaxially green to yellowish, 22–39 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, inflated, tight, 1–2.5 mm, 5–10% as long as beak;

teeth often spreading, green or white, 0.5–1.6 mm.

Calyces

yellow, color mostly obscured by whitish hairs, 15–22 mm;

abaxial, adaxial, and lateral clefts (5.5–)7–12 mm, 35–55% of calyx length, often appearing shorter because matted hairs stitch proximal part of clefts shut, all 4 clefts subequal;

lobes broadly linear, apex acute.

proximal 1/3 green, distal 2/3 red to pale red-orange, rarely yellow, (17–)25–35(–40) mm;

abaxial clefts 14–29 mm, 67–75% of calyx length, adaxial 2.5–7.3 mm, 5–15% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0–0.3(–2) mm, 0–5% of calyx length;

lobes broadly triangular, entire or shallowly cleft, segments, if present, often differing in length, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Castilleja nivea

Castilleja patriotica

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering Jul–Oct.
Habitat Gravelly slopes and flats, turf and fellfields, mostly alpine. Dry slopes and flats, open pine forests, ledges, mostly montane.
Elevation 1700–3600 m. (5600–11800 ft.) 2000–3000 m. (6600–9800 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
MT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja nivea is endemic to alpine habitats in the mountains of northwestern Wyoming and adjacent Montana. It forms occasional hybrids with C. pulchella, which often shares its habitat, as on the Beartooth Plateau in northwestern Wyoming.

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

Castilleja patriotica is broadly distributed in the northern Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico, south to northern Durango and Sinaloa. It is replaced in central and southern Mexico by a related species, C. pectinata M. Martens & Galeotti. Castilleja patriotica reaches the Chiricahua and Huachuca mountains of southeastern Arizona and the adjacent Animas Mountains of southwestern New Mexico. A report from the Atascosa Mountains of southern Arizona needs verification. The numerous, narrow axillary leaves and the narrow leaf lobes combine to give this plant a curious frilly appearance. The narrow, widely divaricate lateral leaf lobes are unique in the flora area. Short, compact plants with smaller flowers were named C. blumeri. Castilleja patriotica has medicinal value to native peoples of the northern Sierra Madre.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 634. FNA vol. 17, p. 642.
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. montigena, C. nana, C. nelsonii, C. nervata, 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. 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. blumeri, C. patriotica var. blumeri
Name authority Pennell & Ownbey: Notul. Nat. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 227: 2. (1950) Fernald: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 40: 56. (1904)
Web links