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

little reddish Indian paintbrush, purple alpine paintbrush, purple paintbrush, Wallowa alpine paintbrush

dwarf pale paintbrush, pale Indian paintbrush, pale paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.5–1.5 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, (0.4–)1–3 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

several, decumbent, or ascending, unbranched, hairs moderately dense, spreading, short and long, soft, eglandular and glandular.

few to many, erect to ascending, decumbent at base, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs moderately to very dense, retrorsely curved to appressed, short, ± stiff, eglandular.

Leaves

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.

purple-tinged or deep purple, sometimes green, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1–4(–5) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, ± involute, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed, apex acute;

lobes spreading or ascending-spreading, linear, apex acute.

Inflorescences

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.

(1.5–)4–8(–12) × 1.5–5.5 cm;

bracts pale green to yellow-green or reddish purple throughout, or proximally pale green to yellow-green, distally white to cream or pale yellowish, sometimes pink to reddish purple, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, elliptic, or ovate, 3–5(–9)-lobed;

lobes spreading to ascending, linear, long, arising along distal 2/3, apex acute to obtuse.

Corollas

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.

straight, 13–23(–27) mm;

tube 10–20 mm; subequal to calyx or beak slightly exserted;

beak adaxially whitish or buff, rarely pink to pink-purple, 3.5–8 mm;

abaxial lip proximally green, white, purple, or purplish brown, distally white, yellow, green, pink, or reddish, prominent, pouched, pouches pleated, longer than deep, gradually expanded, 2.5–8 mm, 70–100% as long as beak, puberulent;

teeth erect to spreading, pink, cream, or white, sometimes with a yellow spot proximally, 1.5–3.5 mm.

Calyces

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, sometimes distally purple with age, 11–25(–27) mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–13.6 mm, 40–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–4.3(–6) mm, (0–)5–25% of calyx length;

lobes lanceolate to triangular, apex usually triangular or acute, rarely ± obtuse.

Stigmas

green.

2n

= 24, 48.

Castilleja rubida

Castilleja pallescens

Phenology Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Rocky slopes, ledges, dry to moist gravelly flats and ridges, alpine, limestone, rarely on river cobbles at lower elevations.
Elevation 2200–3000 m. (7200–9800 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
OR
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; NV; OR; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Castilleja pallescens occurs from valleys to alpine ridges and summits throughout its range, usually in sagebrush communities, but at higher elevations it is also found on dry sites associated with other plant species. The alpine plants are greatly reduced in stature.

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

Key
1. Bracts not rigid, veins inconspicuous, usually same color as surfaces; herbs (0.5–)1–3 dm; ne Idaho, sw Montana, nw Wyoming.
var. pallescens
1. Bracts rigid, veins prominent, pale and contrasting with color of surfaces; herbs 0.4–1.2(–1.7) dm; s, se Idaho, ne Nevada, Oregon.
var. inverta
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 653. FNA vol. 17, p. 637.
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. pruinosa, C. puberula, C. pulchella, C. purpurascens, C. purpurea, C. raupii, C. revealii, C. rhexiifolia, C. rigida, C. rubicundula, 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. 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. victoriae, C. viscidula, C. wightii, C. wootonii, C. xanthotricha
Subordinate taxa
C. pallescens var. inverta, C. pallescens var. pallescens
Synonyms Orthocarpus pallescens
Name authority Piper: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 27: 398. (1900) — (as Castilleia) (A. Gray) Greenman: Bot. Gaz. 25: 266. (1898) — (as Castilleia)
Web links