Flora of North America species comparison

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

Castilleja rupicola

Castilleja grisea
Castilleja rupicola

cliff Indian paintbrush, cliff paintbrush

San Clemente Island Indian paintbrush, San Clemente Island paintbrush
Habit Herbs, perennial, (0.8–)1–2(–3) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Subshrubs or shrubs, perennial, 4–6(–10) dm, to 20 dm wide; from a woody caudex; with thick, woody roots.
Stems

many, decumbent to ascending, unbranched, sparsely pubescent, hairs spreading, wavy, fairly short, soft, eglandular, sometimes glabrous proximally.

many, spreading and ascending, much-branched, with short, leafy axillary shoots, proximal stems 1+ cm wide, hairs dense, spreading, matted, white, medium length, soft, stellate, sometimes mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones especially near inflorescence, partially obscuring surface.
Leaves

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.

ash gray, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1–6.5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane or slightly wavy, involute, 0–7-lobed, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces almost obscured by hairs, at least when young;

lobes spreading to ascending, linear to narrowly oblong, apex acute to acuminate.
Inflorescences

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.

(3–)7.5–11.5 × 1.5–3.5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally ± pale yellow, proximals sometimes greenish throughout, linear to narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblong, (3–)5–7-lobed;

lobes spreading, linear to narrowly oblong, long, proximal lobes arising below mid length, apex obtuse to acute.
Corollas

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.

curved in proximal 1/3, 15–25 mm;

tube 11 mm;

abaxial lip not exserted, sometimes visible in abaxial cleft, beak exserted;

beak adaxially green or dull yellow, 7–9 mm;

abaxial lip deep green, reduced, 1–2 mm, less than 25% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, green, 0.7–1 mm.
Calyces

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, 10–20 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 5.5–7 mm, 50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0–1 mm, 0–8% of calyx length;

lobes oblong, apex truncate to rounded or obtuse, rarely emarginate, inner surface glandular.
2n

= 24.

Castilleja rupicola

Castilleja grisea
Phenology Flowering (May–)Jun–Sep. Flowering Feb–Jun.
Habitat Sunny rocky slopes, scree, talus, ledges, fellfields, subalpine to alpine. Coastal terraces and slopes, cliffs and canyon walls, coastal sage scrub.
Elevation (200–)1000–2500 m. ((700–)3300–8200 ft.) 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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 grisea is endemic to a small portion of San Clemente Island in Los Angeles County, which is managed by the U.S. Navy. It was one of the first plants listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of the United States, and its near extinction was due to grazing by feral goats. Plants responded well when the goats were removed, spreading from their last refuge on inaccessible cliffs onto gentle terrain at the southern end of the island, near the type locality, and are now locally fairly common. Ungrazed old shrubs can reach 1 m in height and 2 m in breadth and often have a thick woody trunk. The stellate pubescence is unusual in Castilleja.

Castilleja grisea is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 653. FNA vol. 17, p. 611.
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. rubida, 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. 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. victoriae, C. viscidula, C. wightii, C. wootonii, C. xanthotricha
Synonyms C. hololeuca subsp. grisea
Name authority Piper: Erythea 6: 45. (1898) — (as Castilleia) Dunkle: Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 42: 31. (1943)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



Type/paste one or more Latin names into the boxes above; matching taxa will show up below the box as you type. You can use the up/down arrow keys to move through the list.

(If the plant you're looking for doesn't show up in the auto-complete list, that means it either isn't described in Flora of North America yet, or it's listed under a synonym. And please note that Flora of North America is still missing several plant families, including Apiaceae, Boraginaceae, and Polemoniaceae.)

Choose a data source: Flora of North America, OregonFlora, UW Burke Herbarium

The species comparison tool is brought to you by:
Northwest Wildflowers