Castilleja rupicola
Castilleja aquariensis
cliff Indian paintbrush, cliff paintbrush
Aquarius paintbrush, Aquarius Plateau Indian paintbrush, Aquarius Plateau paintbrush
many, decumbent to ascending, unbranched, sparsely pubescent, hairs spreading, wavy, fairly short, soft, eglandular, sometimes glabrous proximally.
few to several, ascending to erect, unbranched, hairs moderately dense, often retrorse, short, ± stiff, stipitate-glandular distally only in inflorescence.
purple to green, narrowly, rarely broadly, lanceolate, 1.4–4 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat to involute, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed, apex acute to acuminate;
lobes divergent, spreading-ascending, linear, long, not much narrower than mid blade, often with secondary lobes, creating little frilly fans, apex acute or obtuse.
appressed-ascending, green to purplish, linear to narrowly lanceolate, distal sometimes broadly lanceolate, (1–)2.5–4(–5.5) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, 0(–5)-lobed, apex rounded to acuminate;
lobes ascending, linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute.
2–6 × 2–3.5 cm;
bracts proximally greenish or deep purple near base, distally red, scarlet, or crimson to red-orange, rarely orange, salmon, pink, or yellowish white, ovate to orbicular in outline, 5(–9)-lobed;
lobes spreading, linear to linear-lanceolate, long, arising below mid length, apex acute to rounded.
2–7 × 1.5–2 cm;
bracts proximally pale green to pale yellow-green, distally pale to bright yellow or cream, rarely pale orange, elliptic, narrowly ovate, elliptic-oblong, broadly lanceolate, or ovate, (0–)3(–5)-lobed;
lobes ascending or spreading, narrowly lanceolate, short, arising near tip on distal bracts, central lobe apex rounded to truncate, lateral ones acute to rounded.
straight or slightly curved, 25–35(–45) mm;
tube 9–15 mm;
beak exserted, adaxially green, purplish, or yellow-green, 14–22 mm;
abaxial lip deep green, reduced, 0.5–2 mm, 6–12% as long as beak;
teeth incurved to erect, green, 0.5 mm.
straight, 17–25 mm;
tube 9–13 mm;
beak exserted, adaxially green, 6–8(–12) mm, margins red or reddish brown, short-hairy;
abaxial lip green, reduced, sometimes exserted, 1.5–2 mm, 10–15% as long as beak, glabrous;
teeth erect, green, 0.5–1.5 mm.
proximally purple, green, or whitish, distally colored as bract lobes, 15–25 mm;
abaxial and adaxial clefts 8 mm, ca. 40–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 1–5 mm, 10–20% of calyx length;
lobes triangular, apex obtuse or acute.
proximally green to yellowish, distal 1/2 yellow, (16–)18–25 mm;
abaxial and adaxial clefts (8–)9.5–12.5 mm, 50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–5(–6) mm, 5–20% of calyx length;
lobes lanceolate to ovate, apex acute to obtuse.
Castilleja rupicola
Castilleja aquariensis
Castilleja rupicola is usually found in the subalpine and lower alpine zones in the Cascade Range from extreme southern British Columbia south to northern Douglas County, Oregon. Though it can be numerous where it occurs, the species as a whole is uncommon. One atypical population occurs in a moist, shaded, mossy, north-facing ravine on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge, at less than 250 m. These plants often bear secondary divisions on deeply dissected leaves and bracts.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Castilleja aquariensis is endemic to the Aquarius Plateau in the mountains of south-central Utah. Its meadow habitats were severely degraded by livestock grazing, and at one time the species was a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act of the United States. It is still a species of management concern.
Castilleja aquariensis is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
BC
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
