Castilleja rubida
Castilleja hyperborea
little reddish Indian paintbrush, purple alpine paintbrush, purple paintbrush, Wallowa alpine paintbrush
northern Indian paintbrush, northern paintbrush
several, decumbent, or ascending, unbranched, hairs moderately dense, spreading, short and long, soft, eglandular and glandular.
few, ascending, unbranched, sometimes branched, glabrate to sparsely hairy proximally, becoming densely hairy distally, proximal hairs appressed, white, short, soft, eglandular, distal hairs widely spreading to erect, white or yellowish, long to very long, soft, eglandular.
green to purple, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 0.7–3.2 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, slightly involute, 3–5-lobed, apex narrowly acute to acuminate;
lobes ascending-spreading, narrowly linear to filiform, often curling, often short, apex acute or obtuse.
green to sometimes red-brown or dull purplish, linear to linear-lanceolate, 1.5–4 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, involute, (0–)3(–5)-lobed, apex acute to acuminate;
lobes linear or linear-lanceolate, laterals ± divaricate, often abruptly up-curved from plane of main leaf blade, proximals usually 33–50% as long as leaf, apex acuminate to acute.
2.5–6 × 1–2 cm;
bracts purple, deep burgundy, or lavender throughout, rarely pink or yellowish white throughout, sometimes pink or dull whitish on distal margins and apices, oblong, 3–5(–7)-lobed;
lobes spreading, linear, medium length, proximal lobes arising below mid length, center lobe apex rounded to obtuse, lateral ones acute to obtuse.
2–11 × 1–2.5 cm;
bracts greenish or pale yellow, rarely purplish or deep red, often with dull purplish veins on proximal bracts, or proximally greenish or pale yellow, distally whitish, yellow, or orange-yellow, proximal sometimes linear-lanceolate, distal broadly lanceolate to oblong or obovate, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed;
lobes ascending to erect, linear to lanceolate, short to medium length, arising above mid length, proximal bract apex acute, distal obtuse, rounded, or truncate.
straight, 12–15 mm;
tube 14–16 mm;
abaxial lip and beak exserted;
beak adaxially green, 5–6 mm;
abaxial lip colored as distal portion of bracts, prominent, pouches 3, central one grooved, pouches not strongly inflated, 4–5 mm, 80–100% as long as beak;
teeth erect, appressed to beak, colored as distal portions of bracts, 1.5–2.5 mm.
slightly curved, 10–22 mm;
tube 8–14 mm;
teeth of abaxial lip sometimes slightly exserted, beak exserted or subequal;
beak adaxially green to pale yellow, 5–8 mm;
abaxial lip deep yellow or green, reduced, forming a small pouch visible through front cleft, 3–5 mm, 50–75% as long as beak;
teeth ascending to erect, white or yellow, 1 mm.
colored as bracts, 10–12 mm; all 4 clefts subequal, 3.5–6.5 mm, 35–55% of calyx length;
lobes broadly linear or linear-triangular, apex obtuse to acute.
colored as bracts, proximally often paler, usually yellow throughout, 10–20 mm;
abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–14 mm, 40–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–1.5 mm, 5–15% of calyx length;
lobes triangular, apex acute to rounded.
green.
= 24.
Castilleja rubida
Castilleja hyperborea
Castilleja rubida is a rare alpine species endemic to a few limestone peaks in the Wallowa Mountains of northeastern Oregon, entirely within the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area. It is likely derived from the C. nana complex, found in the mountains of eastern California and Nevada, but it is amply distinct. Due to its very limited range and small population numbers, C. rubida is a species of conservation concern.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Castilleja hyperborea is widespread across boreal, alpine, and arctic habitats in western Canada and Alaska, extending into the Russian Far East. A rare form with light purple bracts was named as C. kuschei. Another form with particularly long hairs found in the Kluane Lake region of the southern Yukon was described as C. villosissima and is usually found on calcareous substrates.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
BC
