Castilleja occidentalis |
Castilleja purpurascens |
|
---|---|---|
western Indian paintbrush, western or western yellow paintbrush, western paintbrush |
yoho paintbrush |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, 0.7–2(–3) dm; from a small, woody caudex; with a taproot. | Herbs, perennial, (1.5–)2–4 dm; from a woody caudex; with branched, woody roots. |
Stems | several to many, erect or ascending, usually short-decumbent at base, unbranched, sometimes glabrous proximally, hairs spreading, long, soft, mixed with medium length to short stipitate-glandular ones only in inflorescence. |
few or several, ascending to erect, branched or unbranched, shiny proximally, glabrous proximally, hairy distally, hairs spreading, long, soft, eglandular, sometimes sparsely glandular. |
Leaves | green to deep purple, linear-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate (to linear on sterile shoots), 1.5–4(–5.5) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat, prominently veined, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acute to rounded; lobes ascending, lanceolate, apex acute. |
deep purple to green, linear-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, rarely broadly lanceolate, 1.5–4.5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat or slightly involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex usually acuminate or acute; lobes upright or ascending, lanceolate, apex acute. |
Inflorescences | 2–7(–10) × 1–3.5 cm; bracts greenish to pale greenish yellow throughout, often aging dull reddish brown or reddish purple proximally, rarely dull reddish brown throughout, or proximally green, dull reddish brown, or reddish purple, distally greenish white, yellow, or cream, broadly lanceolate to widely oblong to ovate, 0–3(–7)-lobed; lobes ascending, triangular to lanceolate, medium length, usually arising at or above mid length, rarely just below, central lobe apex obtuse to rounded, others acute. |
2–12 × 2–6 cm; bracts deep reddish or crimson, rarely magenta or dull orange, or proximally greenish near base, distally colored as above, oblong to broadly lanceolate, often spreading from base and exposing calyces, 0–3(–5)-lobed; lobes ascending to erect, linear, short to medium length, arising near or above mid length, apex acute to obtuse. |
Corollas | straight, 16–25 mm; tube 9–15 mm; teeth and part of abaxial lip sometimes exserted, beak exserted; beak adaxially green, (2.5–)5–9 mm; abaxial lip green, reduced, often visible through abaxial cleft, slightly pouched, 1.5–3 mm, 25–50% as long as beak; teeth incurved to ascending, white, sometimes green, 0.7–2 mm. |
straight to slightly curved, 20–37 mm; tube 12–21 mm; abaxial lip sometimes exserted, beak exserted; beak adaxially green, 10–16 mm; abaxial lip green, sometimes yellow, usually reduced, protruding through abaxial cleft, sometimes a little pouched, 3-lobed, 2–6 mm, 17–45% as long as beak; teeth erect, green, whitish, or yellow, 1–1.5 mm. |
Calyces | proximally green to purple, distally colored as bracts, 12–20 mm; abaxial and adaxial clefts 5–9(–10) mm, 40–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1–3(–4.5) mm, 5–20% of calyx length; lobes lanceolate to triangular, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded. |
colored as bracts, 18–28 mm; abaxial clefts 5–6 mm, adaxial 8–15 mm, clefts 28–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1.5–6 mm, 5–25% of calyx length; lobes long-triangular, apex acute. |
2n | = 24, 48. |
= 48. |
Castilleja occidentalis |
Castilleja purpurascens |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jun–Sep. | Flowering (May–)Jun–Jul. |
Habitat | Meadows, gravel slopes, talus, ridges, mostly upper subalpine to alpine. | Gravel river flats, moist thickets. |
Elevation | 1500–4300 m. (4900–14100 ft.) | 1200–2200 m. (3900–7200 ft.) |
Distribution |
CO; MT; NM; UT; AB; BC
|
AB; BC |
Discussion | Castilleja occidentalis has a wide distribution in the southern Rocky Mountains, a gap in its distribution in Wyoming, and reappears in Montana and the Canadian Rockies. Bract lobing and color vary considerably but without correlation to geography. Although C. occidentalis resembles an alpine form of C. septentrionalis, C. occidentalis is missing in several regions in the distribution of the latter, even when extensive areas of suitable habitat are available, and has a discrete range. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Castilleja purpurascens is a species of gravelly flood plains and riverbanks at moderate elevations in the vicinity of the Kicking Horse River in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, and in immediately adjacent Alberta. While this tetraploid species may be derived from hybridization between C. miniata and C. rhexiifolia, its combination of traits is unique, and the species forms morphologically consistent populations limited to a habitat not particularly favored by either putative parent species. Very occasional hybrids are known with both C. lutescens and C. miniata. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 635. | FNA vol. 17, p. 649. |
Parent taxa | Orobanchaceae > Castilleja | Orobanchaceae > Castilleja |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 2: 230. (1827) | Greenman: Bot. Gaz. 42: 146. (1906) |
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