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Peirson's paintbrush

Bryce Canyon Indian paintbrush, Reveal's paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.6–3(–4) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 0.8–1.5(–2) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

few to several, erect or ascending, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs dense distally, less so proximally, spreading, long, soft, eglandular, also mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones distally.

solitary, sometimes few, erect or ascending, sometimes decumbent, unbranched, glabrous proximally, hairy distally, hairs retrorse or spreading, rarely appressed, short to medium length, soft, eglandular.

Leaves

green to purple, narrowly to broadly lanceolate to oblong, (0.7–)1.5–4.2(–5) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat or involute, (0–)3(–5)-lobed, apex acuminate;

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

green, green tinged with purple, or dull purple, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1.7–3.5(–4.5) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, slightly involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acute;

lobes ascending, linear, mostly short, apex acute.

Inflorescences

2.5–7.5(–15) × 1.5–3 cm;

bracts proximally greenish to dull reddish, distally bright red, orange, or pale orange, sometimes yellowish or dull red, broadly lanceolate to oblong, 3–5-lobed;

lobes ascending, linear to lanceolate, ± long, arising above mid length, sometimes below mid length on proximal bracts, central lobe apex acute, rarely narrowly obtuse, lateral ones acute.

3.5–6.5 × 2–5 cm;

bracts magenta, rose red, lavender, or pink throughout, broadly lanceolate, oblong, or ovate, (0–)3(–5)-lobed;

lobes ascending to erect, linear to lanceolate, short, arising above, sometimes slightly below, mid length, center lobe apex rounded, lateral ones acute.

Corollas

slightly curved, 15–28 mm;

tube 13–15 mm;

beak exserted, adaxially yellow or yellow-green, 7–8 mm;

abaxial lip yellow or deep green, reduced, slightly inflated, pouched, protruding out abaxial cleft, 1–2.5 mm, 13–33% as long as beak;

teeth erect or curved, yellow or green, 0.7–1 mm.

straight or slightly curved, 19–25(–27.5) mm;

tube 9–16 mm;

beak exserted, adaxially green, 7–10(–11.5) mm;

abaxial lip deep green or deep purple, slightly inflated, rounded, 1.5–2.5 mm, 20–30% as long as beak;

teeth usually ± incurved, magenta or deep green, 0.6–1.4(–2) mm.

Calyces

proximally light green or yellow, distally yellow or colored as bracts, 12–20 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 5–9 mm, 40–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral (1.5–)3–5.8 mm, 10–30% of calyx length;

lobes oblong, apex acute to obtuse.

colored as bracts, 16.5–22(–27) mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts (8–)10–15(–18) mm, 33–40% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral (1.5–)3–6(–8) mm, 20–30% of calyx length;

lobes narrowly lanceolate to elliptic, apex acute, sometimes obtuse.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Castilleja peirsonii

Castilleja revealii

Phenology Flowering Jun–Sep. Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Moist to wet meadows, stream banks, lakeshores, montane to alpine. Dry, gravelly openings and barrens in pine forests, limestone.
Elevation 1700–3400 m. (5600–11200 ft.) 2400–3100 m. (7900–10200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja peirsonii is endemic to the higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada of California and in Tahoe Meadows in adjacent Washoe County, Nevada. Plants with yellow bracts in the southern portion of the range were named C. carterae. Castilleja peirsonii has shorter, wider corolla beaks than the related C. parviflora. In addition to the corolla shape differences, C. peirsonii also has red to yellow bracts and fairly bright yellow corollas, especially on the beaks, while C. parviflora has purple, pink, or white bracts and greenish corolla tubes and dorsal beak surfaces, with the beak margins pink, purple, or white. Reports from outside the Sierra Nevada in California and immediately adjacent Nevada are misidentifications. Castilleja peirsonii sometimes hybridizes with C. lemmonii in meadows where both species often occur in large numbers.

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

Castilleja revealii is a narrow endemic of limestone gravel barrens on the Markagunt and Paunsaugunt plateaus in and adjacent to the rim of Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument in south-central Utah. It is also known from a single collection from the southwestern edge of the Aquarius Plateau. These xeric barrens have an extremely high amount of reflective sunlight and support few other plants.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 644. FNA vol. 17, p. 650.
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. nivea, C. occidentalis, C. oresbia, C. organorum, C. ornata, C. pallescens, C. pallida, C. parviflora, C. parvula, C. patriotica, C. peckiana, 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. patriotica, C. peckiana, C. peirsonii, C. pilosa, C. plagiotoma, C. praeterita, C. pruinosa, C. puberula, C. pulchella, C. purpurascens, C. purpurea, C. raupii, 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. carterae C. parvula var. revealii
Name authority Eastwood: Leafl. W. Bot. 1: 175. (1935) — (as peirsoni) N. H. Holmgren: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 100: 87, fig. 2. (1973)
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