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Castilleja parviflora var. albida

mountain Indian paintbrush, pale small-flower paintbrush, white Indian paintbrush, white small-flower paintbrush

Photo is of parent taxon

magenta Indian paintbrush, magenta paintbrush

Habit Herbs 0.6–2.7 dm. Herbs 1–4 dm.
Leaves

broadly, sometimes narrowly, lanceolate to elliptic, margins plane to ± wavy, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed, apex acute to obtuse;

lobes ascending, lanceolate.

broadly lanceolate to rarely linear, margins plane to ± wavy, (0–)3(–5)-lobed, apex acuminate to acute;

lobes spreading or ascending, linear, very narrow.

Bracts

distally white to cream, sometimes suffused with pink to purple, 3–5(–7)-lobed;

lobes lanceolate, arising at or above mid length.

distally magenta to pink or pink-purple, sometimes red, red-orange, deep rose, or crimson, rarely whitish, 3–7-lobed;

lobes linear, arising below or above mid length.

Corollas

12–20(–25) mm;

tube 8–11 mm; subequal to calyx or beak exserted, 5.5–8 mm;

abaxial lip green, brown, or yellow;

teeth white to yellow, sometimes pinkish.

(18–)20–30 mm;

tube 12–19 mm;

beak exserted, 8–11 mm;

abaxial lip green, sometimes purple;

teeth green, red, or white.

Calyces

green to purple or red, distally white to pink, 12–17(–21) mm;

abaxial clefts (6–)7–8 mm, adaxial 8–10 mm, abaxial ca. 40% of calyx length, adaxial ca. 33% of calyx length, lateral 2–6 mm, 15–25% of calyx length;

lobes triangular, apex acute, sometimes obtuse.

colored as bracts, 20–28 mm;

abaxial clefts 8–13 mm, adaxial 10–14 mm, lateral 1–3 mm, 12–20% of calyx length;

lobes narrowly to broadly triangular, distally expanded and flaring, petaloid, apex obtuse to acute or rounded.

Castilleja parviflora var. albida

Castilleja parviflora var. oreopola

Phenology Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Sep. Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Moist to wet meadows, snowmelt streams, receding shorelines, subalpine to lower alpine. Dry to moist meadows, ridges, pumice, subalpine to lower alpine.
Elevation 1200–2500 m. (3900–8200 ft.) 1500–2200 m. (4900–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
WA; BC
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
OR; WA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Variety albida is found in the Cascade Range of southern British Columbia southward to the Wenatchee Mountains of Washington. In central British Columbia, the point of transition into var. parviflora still needs definition. Variety albida is characterized by whitish to cream bracts, although some plants in Okanogan County, Washington, have pink or purple bracts in mixed populations with white-bracted plants.

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

Variety oreopola is restricted to the Cascade Range from central Oregon, near the Three Sisters peaks, to just north of Mt. Rainier, in Washington. It is replaced to the north in the Wenatchee Mountains and the North Cascade Range by var. albida. Variety oreopola usually has pink to purple inflorescences, with occasional variants of pinkish red, pinkish orange, or white. Its colorful displays are a conspicuous element of the subalpine meadows and slopes of this region. Reports of var. oreopola in the Cascade Mountains of southern British Columbia seem plausible but have yet to be fully verified.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 641. FNA vol. 17, p. 641.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Castilleja > Castilleja parviflora Orobanchaceae > Castilleja > Castilleja parviflora
Sibling taxa
C. parviflora var. olympica, C. parviflora var. oreopola, C. parviflora var. parviflora
C. parviflora var. albida, C. parviflora var. olympica, C. parviflora var. parviflora
Synonyms C. oreopola subsp. albida C. oreopola
Name authority (Pennell) Ownbey: in C. L. Hitchcock et al., Vasc. Pl. Pacif. N.W. 4: 317. (1959) (Greenman) Ownbey: in C. L. Hitchcock et al., Vasc. Pl. Pacific N.W. 4: 317. (1959)
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