Castilleja nivea |
Castilleja peckiana |
|
---|---|---|
snow Indian paintbrush, snow paintbrush, snowy paintbrush |
peak paintbrush, Peck's Indian paintbrush, Peck's paintbrush |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, 0.5–1.6 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. | Herbs, perennial, (1.8–)2.4–6 dm; from a woody caudex; with a stout 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, often branched distally, sometimes unbranched, sometimes with short axillary shoots, proximal hairs retrorse to appressed, short to moderately long, distal hairs spreading, longer, soft, often mixed with short stipitate-glandular 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, rarely broadly lanceolate, (1.2–)2.5–8(–9) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat or involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acute to rounded; lobes ascending-spreading, narrowly lanceolate to linear, apex acute or obtuse. |
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. |
(2–)4–17 × 1.5–3 cm; bracts proximally greenish, distally red, orange-red, or orange, proximal sometimes lanceolate, distal broadly lanceolate to ovate, (0–)3(–7)-lobed; lobes spreading to ascending, linear to lanceolate, long, arising near or below mid length, central lobe apex 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. |
straight, 23–30(–35) mm; tube 12–20 mm; beak exserted, adaxially green, 8–12(–14) mm; abaxial lip pale to deep green, reduced, rounded, 0.5–1.5 mm, 10–20% as long as beak; teeth erect to incurved, green, (0.4–)0.7–1.2(–2) 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. |
proximally pale yellow or greenish, distally colored as bracts, (15–)18–28 mm; abaxial and adaxial clefts 6–12 mm, 40–45% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2.5–8 mm, 20–30% of calyx length; lobes linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute to acuminate. |
2n | = 24. |
= 72, 96, ca. 120. |
Castilleja nivea |
Castilleja peckiana |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jun–Aug. | Flowering (Apr–)May–Aug. |
Habitat | Gravelly slopes and flats, turf and fellfields, mostly alpine. | Open conifer forests, sagebrush slopes, riparian meadows, shores. |
Elevation | 1700–3600 m. (5600–11800 ft.) | 1400–2600 m. (4600–8500 ft.) |
Distribution |
MT; WY
|
ID; NV; OR
|
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.) |
When describing Castilleja peckiana, Pennell noted that its variation approached C. hispida on one hand and C. miniata on the other, and it is likely of allopolyploid derivation. L. R. Heckard (1968) found chromosome numbers of n = 36, 48, and ca. 60. He hypothesized that C. chromosa, C. hispida var. acuta, and C. miniata were likely involved in its ancestry, and possibly C. pruinosa as well. Heckard suggested subsequent introgression among the derived forms introduced further complexity. Though complex, these forms are self-perpetuating and appear morphologically stable within their range. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 634. | FNA vol. 17, p. 643. |
Parent taxa | Orobanchaceae > Castilleja | Orobanchaceae > Castilleja |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Pennell & Ownbey: Notul. Nat. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 227: 2. (1950) | Pennell: Notul. Nat. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 74: 9. (1941) |
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