The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

frosted Indian paintbrush, frosted paintbrush, pruinose paintbrush

Victoria owl-clover, Victoria paintbrush, Victoria's owl's-clover, Victoria's owl-clover, Victoria's paintbrush

Habit Herbs to subshrubs, perennial, (1.2–)2–8 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, annual, 0.2–2 dm; with fibrous roots.
Stems

several to many, erect or ascending, branched or unbranched, sometimes with inconspicuous, short, leafy axillary shoots, hairs ± dense, spreading to appressed, whitish or ashy gray, long, soft, much-branched, rarely unbranched, eglandular or obscurely glandular.

solitary, erect, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs spreading, long, soft, mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones.

Leaves

green, linear-lanceolate to narrowly or broadly lanceolate, 2–8 cm, not fleshy, margins plane to sometimes wavy, flat or involute, 0-lobed, sometimes 3–5-lobed distally, apex obtuse to rounded, sometimes acute;

lobes sometimes divergent, ascending-spreading, linear, 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

3–20 × 1.5–4 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally abruptly red, sometimes yellow, salmon, or orange-red, often with a narrow yellow medial band, lanceolate, broadly lanceolate, or oblong, 0–5-lobed;

lobes spreading to ascending, linear, long, arising near mid length, apex obtuse to 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

slightly curved, 20–51 mm;

tube 12–21 mm;

beak long-exserted, adaxially green, yellow, or red, 12–33 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, reduced, 1–2.5 mm, ca. 10% as long as beak;

teeth incurved to erect, white, yellow, or green, 0.5–2 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 yellow, distally and abruptly colored as in distal bracts, often with a central yellow band, 13–28 mm;

abaxial clefts 5–13 mm, adaxial 8–14 mm, clefts 33–70% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 3–9 mm, 20–25% of calyx length;

lobes lanceolate to triangular, apex acute to acuminate.

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

= 48.

= 24.

Castilleja pruinosa

Castilleja victoriae

Phenology Flowering Mar–Aug. Flowering (Apr–)May–Jul.
Habitat Dry flats, rocky slopes, talus, thickets, open forests and forest edges, usually over serpentine. Vernal pools, springs, windswept, thin-soiled rocky knolls and benches by sea, gneiss.
Elevation 50–2600 m. (200–8500 ft.) 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
WA; BC
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja pruinosa is a common and variable paintbrush at moderate elevations in the southern half of the Cascade Range, occurring westward in Oregon and in adjacent northwestern California. It is also found in the northern Sierra Nevada. The often dense pubescence of branched hairs distinguishes it from other similar species within its range. Castilleja gleasoni was sometimes included within C. pruinosa, but C. gleasoni is likely of hybrid origin and occurs only in the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California. There are significant morphological differences between C. gleasoni and C. pruinosa. Castilleja pruinosa forms occasional hybrids with C. applegatei var. pinetorum and with C. brevilobata. In some populations in Douglas and eastern Lane counties, Oregon, C. pruinosa forms introgressive swarms with C. hispida var. hispida.

(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. 647. FNA vol. 17, p. 663.
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. peirsonii, C. pilosa, C. plagiotoma, C. praeterita, 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. 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. viscidula, C. wightii, C. wootonii, C. xanthotricha
Name authority Fernald: Erythea 6: 50. (1898) — (as Castilleia) Fairbarns & J. M. Egger: Madroño 54: 335, figs. 1, 3 [lower right]. (2008)
Web links