Castilleja occidentalis |
Castilleja victoriae |
|
---|---|---|
western Indian paintbrush, western or western yellow paintbrush, western paintbrush |
Victoria owl-clover, Victoria paintbrush, Victoria's owl's-clover, Victoria's owl-clover, Victoria's paintbrush |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, 0.7–2(–3) dm; from a small, woody caudex; with a taproot. | Herbs, annual, 0.2–2 dm; with fibrous 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. |
solitary, erect, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs spreading, long, soft, mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones. |
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. |
usually brownish throughout, sometimes greenish proximally, brownish distally, margins deep brown, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 0.5–2.7 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acute; lobes spreading-ascending, linear to lanceolate, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded. |
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. |
1–5 × 1.5–3 cm; bracts dull reddish brown throughout, or proximally dull greenish, distally dull reddish brown, narrowly ovate, 3–7-lobed; lobes ascending, lanceolate, medium length, arising near or above mid length, apex broadly acute or 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, 10–18 mm; tube 9–13 mm; abaxial lip and beak exserted; beak adaxially white, sometimes faintly diffuse purple, 3 mm, inconspicuously puberulent, hairs short stipitate-glandular; abaxial lip yellowish, cream, or soft pale yellow, lacking spots, moderately conspicuous, pouches 3, conspicuous, 1–3 mm deep, central one furrowed, conspicuous, 2–2.5 mm, 60–75% as long as beak; teeth erect, white or cream, 0.5–0.8 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, 8–12 mm; abaxial and adaxial clefts 5–6 mm, 50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 3–4 mm, 30–40% of calyx length; lobes linear-lanceolate, apex acute. |
Stigmas | included in beak. |
|
2n | = 24, 48. |
= 24. |
Castilleja occidentalis |
Castilleja victoriae |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jun–Sep. | Flowering (Apr–)May–Jul. |
Habitat | Meadows, gravel slopes, talus, ridges, mostly upper subalpine to alpine. | Vernal pools, springs, windswept, thin-soiled rocky knolls and benches by sea, gneiss. |
Elevation | 1500–4300 m. (4900–14100 ft.) | 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) |
Distribution |
CO; MT; NM; UT; AB; BC
|
WA; 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 victoriae was first collected in 1893 but not described until 2008. It is restricted to the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island, near Oak Bay, and to several small adjacent islands within a 30 km radius in British Columbia and Washington. Its primary habitat is small depressions and vernal pools on gentle gradients within 100 m of the sea, making it particularly vulnerable to development and recreational conflicts. Never common, several historic populations near Victoria were extirpated before the species was recognized. The majority of the global population is found on Trial Island. All known extant populations would be inundated by projected sea level increases and storm surges due to climate change. It should be considered globally endangered. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 635. | FNA vol. 17, p. 663. |
Parent taxa | Orobanchaceae > Castilleja | Orobanchaceae > Castilleja |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 2: 230. (1827) | Fairbarns & J. M. Egger: Madroño 54: 335, figs. 1, 3 [lower right]. (2008) |
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