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Franciscan paint brush, longleaf Indian paintbrush

Photo is of parent taxon

Franciscan paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 1.8–12 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs 2.8–6.3 dm.
Stems

solitary or few to many, erect to ascending, often leaning on nearby shrubs (var. jepsonii), unbranched or branched, often with small, leafy axillary shoots, hairs matted to spreading, short and long, soft, mixed with short stipitate-glandular ones.

greenish, sometimes reddish, hairs matted to spreading, medium length or long.

Leaves

green, pale gray-green, sometimes dull reddish purple, linear to narrowly, sometimes broadly, lanceolate, 2–10.5 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, flat or involute, 0(–3)-lobed, apex acuminate to acute;

lobes spreading, linear to short-lanceolate, often arising near mid length, apex acute to obtuse.

green, sometimes dull reddish, linear-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy;

lobe apex acute.

Inflorescences

3–30 × 1–7 cm;

bracts green or dull purple throughout, or proximally green or dull purple, distally bright red to orange-red, sometimes salmon, orange, or yellow, usually linear to lanceolate, distal sometimes broadly lanceolate to oblong or elliptic, 0(–3)-lobed;

lobes spreading to erect, linear to oblong or triangular, short or medium length, arising near or above mid length, apex acute to obtuse.

5–17 × 1.5–5 cm;

bracts green or purple throughout, or distally bright red to orange-red, rarely yellow, 0(–3)-lobed.

Corollas

curved proximally, straight to slightly curved distally, 25–57 mm;

tube 15–29 mm;

beak subequal to or exceeding calyx but abaxial lip, beak, and often part of tube usually exserted out abaxial cleft;

beak adaxially green, yellow-green, or yellow, 13–21 mm, margins red, orange, or yellow;

abaxial lip green, yellow, reddish, blackish, or deep red-purple, reduced, protuberant, forming a platform, 1–2 mm, 5–25% as long as beak;

teeth ascending, green, purple sometimes with reddish tip, yellow, or blackish, 0.5–1 mm.

38–57 mm;

beak subequal to or exceeding calyx, beak and abaxial lip exserted through abaxial cleft;

beak adaxially bright yellow, sometimes greenish yellow near apex, margins yellow, rarely orange or red, strongly contrasting with color of calyx;

abaxial lip green or yellow;

teeth green or yellow, 0.5–1 mm.

Calyces

proximally pale green, rarely pale purple, distally bright red or red-orange, rarely orange or yellow, or bright red or red-orange throughout, 20–42 mm;

abaxial clefts 13–27 mm, adaxial 7–17 mm, abaxial 40–70% of calyx length, adaxial 12–33% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0–7.5 mm, 0–35% of calyx length;

lobes linear to narrowly triangular, strongly curved away from stem proximally and distally obviously curved toward stem, apex acute to acuminate to obtuse.

proximally green, pale green, or pale purple, distal 2/3 red to orange, 35–42 mm;

abaxial clefts 20–27 mm, adaxial 11–13 mm, lateral 0–4 mm;

lobe apex acute to obtuse.

2n

= 24, 48, 72, 96.

= 24, 48, 72, 96.

Castilleja subinclusa

Castilleja subinclusa var. franciscana

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul.
Habitat Coastal scrub.
Elevation 0–600 m. (0–2000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

Castilleja subinclusa is divided into three varieties with somewhat discontinuous ranges. Identification of the varieties is often difficult when comparing only a single trait but is more easily accomplished when the characters are considered in a suite. The three varieties are also separable by range and habitat.

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

Variety franciscana is found in the coastal counties of northern and central California, from Humboldt County southward to Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. It is most common in the San Francisco Bay region. With its bright yellow corollas, it is the most distinctive of the three varieties.

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

Key
1. Corolla beaks adaxially bright yellow, sometimes greenish yellow near apex, margins yellow, rarely orange or red, strongly contrasting with color of calyces; stems and leaves greenish, sometimes dull reddish; lateral calyx clefts 0–4 mm; coastal scrub communities; coastal c California.
var. franciscana
1. Corolla beaks adaxially green to yellow-green, rarely yellow, margins red to orange, rarely yellow, not strongly contrasting with color of calyces; stems and leaves greenish, pale gray-green, or dull reddish; lateral calyx clefts 3–7.5 mm; dry, sandy or rocky slopes, desert scrub, foothill woodlands, chaparral, brushy openings in pine-oak woods; w foothills of Sierra Nevada in c California or sw California.
→ 2
2. Stems and leaves greenish, sometimes dull reddish; bracts (0–)3-lobed; brushy openings in pine-oak woods; mostly in w foothills of Sierra Nevada in c California.
var. subinclusa
2. Stems usually dull reddish; leaves usually pale gray-green to ± ash-colored; bracts 0(–3)-lobed; dry, sandy or rocky slopes, desert scrub, foothill woodlands, chaparral; sw California.
var. jepsonii
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 657. FNA vol. 17, p. 658.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Castilleja Orobanchaceae > Castilleja > Castilleja subinclusa
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. rupicola, C. salsuginosa, C. scabrida, C. schizotricha, C. septentrionalis, C. sessiliflora, 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. subinclusa var. jepsonii, C. subinclusa var. subinclusa
Subordinate taxa
C. subinclusa var. franciscana, C. subinclusa var. jepsonii, C. subinclusa var. subinclusa
Synonyms C. franciscana, C. subinclusa subsp. franciscana
Name authority Greene: Pittonia 4: 2. (1899) — (as Castilleia) (Pennell) G. L. Nesom: Phytologia 73: 409. (1992)
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