Castilleja rupicola
Castilleja densiflora
cliff Indian paintbrush, cliff paintbrush
dense-flower owl's-clover, denseflower Indian paintbrush
many, decumbent to ascending, unbranched, sparsely pubescent, hairs spreading, wavy, fairly short, soft, eglandular, sometimes glabrous proximally.
solitary, erect, branched, sometimes unbranched, glabrous or glabrate proximally, pubescent distally, hairs moderately dense, spreading, short to long, soft, eglandular, often mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones (except var. obispoënsis).
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.
pale green, linear to broadly lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, or ovate, 1.4–9 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, flat or slightly involute, (0–)3–5-lobed, apex acuminate;
lobes ascending, linear to narrowly to sometimes broadly lanceolate, apex acuminate to 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.
1–16(–20) × 2.5–4 cm;
bracts proximally greenish to deep purple, distally white, or pink to pink-purple or reddish purple on apices, if white sometimes aging pink, lanceolate, 3–5-lobed;
lobes ascending, linear to oblanceolate, long, arising below mid length, apex acute to acuminate.
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, 14–29 mm;
tube expanded distally;
abaxial lip and beak exserted from or equal to calyx;
beak straight, adaxially pink, purple, or white, if white often aging light pink, (4–)5–7 mm, densely puberulent, hairs often stipitate-glandular;
abaxial lip proximally white or pink to deep purple, expanded part white throughout, or proximally white or purple, or green becoming light pink with age, distally white or yellow (sometimes becoming orange with age), purple or maroon spots or blotches on each lobe, inflated, lobes 3, pouches gradually (to abruptly) widened, 4–6 mm wide, 2–3 mm deep, deeper than tall, 3–7 mm, 80–100% as long as beak;
teeth erect, pink, white (often turning pink with age), chartreuse, or purple, sometimes with deep purple spot at base, 1–2.5 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.
colored as bracts, 5–20 mm;
abaxial and adaxial clefts 4.7–15 mm, 33–90% of calyx length, slightly deeper than laterals or all 4 clefts subequal, lateral 3–8 mm, 33–60% of calyx length;
lobes linear to narrowly oblanceolate, apex acute.
glabrous.
= 24.
Castilleja rupicola
Castilleja densiflora
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.)
Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).
Castilleja densiflora is often confused with C. exserta, and both species are broadly overlapping in both range and habitat, often occurring in close proximity. However, intermediates are remarkably rare. The two are most easily separated by the structure and pubescence of the corollas. In addition to the characters mentioned in the key, C. densiflora usually has a bilobed stigma that is exserted from the apex of the corolla with a more or less vertical orientation, while that of C. exserta emerges horizontally and is capitate. These differences are remarkably consistent.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Bracts distally white, rarely pale yellow; coastal grasslands; San Luis Obispo County, sc California. | var. obispoënsis |
1. Bracts distally pink to pink-purple to red-purple, rarely white; near-coastal and interior grasslands; widespread in w California. | → 2 |
2. Abaxial lips of corollas appearing slightly inflated, pouches widening gradually, longer than deep, 3–7 mm; calyces 8–20 mm. | var. densiflora |
2. Abaxial lips of corollas appearing moderately inflated, pouches widening abruptly, deeper than long, 4–5 mm; calyces 5–11 mm. | var. gracilis |
BC
OR
WA
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
CA
