Castilleja subinclusa
Castilleja wightii
Franciscan paint brush, longleaf Indian paintbrush
Wight's Indian paintbrush, Wight's paintbrush
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.
few to many, ascending to erect, much-branched, usually with prominent leafy axillary shoots, hairs spreading, long, soft, mixed with shorter, stipitate-glandular ones.
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-tinged or ± purple, sometimes yellow-green tinged, densely crowded, linear, lanceolate, oblong, elliptic, or ovate, 1–7 cm, thickened, not usually fleshy, margins plane to wavy, involute or flat, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex broadly rounded to obtuse or acute;
lobes spreading-ascending, linear, narrowly lanceolate, triangular, or rounded, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded.
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.
3–22 × 1.5–3.5 cm;
bracts proximally green to deep purple, rarely light tan, distally red, scarlet, rose, red-orange, or yellow, sometimes orange, dull brownish orange, pale pinkish tan, yellow aging white, yellow aging pink, red with pink apices, magenta, or white, sometimes with a yellow to deep purple medial band, lanceolate, oblong, or narrowly ovate, (0–)3–5(–7+)-lobed, distal margins of central lobe and sometimes also side lobes with multiple shallow teeth, proximal often wavy-margined;
lobes erect or ascending, linear to lanceolate or oblanceolate, short, arising in distal 2/3, apex obtuse to acute, central lobe often rounded to truncate.
0 mm or nearly so.
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.
slightly curved proximally, 20–30 mm;
tube 10–12 mm;
distal portion of beak exserted, abaxial lip included;
beak adaxially green to yellow, 11.5–18 mm;
abaxial lip deep green, sometimes to very deep purple, reduced, included, usually not visible through front cleft, 1–2 mm, 15–25% as long as beak;
teeth erect, green to sometimes pink, 0.5–1.5 mm.
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.
colored as bracts, 15–28 mm;
abaxial and adaxial clefts 8–11 mm, 33–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–5.5 mm, 5–30% of calyx length;
lobes lanceolate to oblong to broadly triangular, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded.
= 24, 48, 72, 96.
= 24, 48.
Castilleja subinclusa
Castilleja wightii
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.)
Castilleja wightii is found along or near the central and northern coast of California. Historical collections of C. wightii from Curry County, Oregon, are referable to other species, but it should be sought in the area. Reports from the south-central coast of California are referable to other species, particularly C. affinis. Castilleja wightii appears to intergrade with C. latifolia and perhaps C. affinis south of San Francisco. Despite much attention from botanists, the perennial paintbrushes along the coast between Monterey and San Francisco can be perplexing and difficult to identify. This situation is likely the result of introgression, but this complex is in need of meticulous genetic and morphological analysis. North of San Francisco, C. wightii is straightforward to recognize, with its abundantly stipitate-glandular stems and leaves. In addition, the leaves are often crowded on the stems, which bear axillary shoots. Most populations have either red or yellow bracts, with only occasional individual plants of the other color. Yellow populations are found primarily in Marin and southern Sonoma counties southward and are gradually replaced by red populations from northern Sonoma County northward. Mixed color populations occur in a few places, especially in San Mateo County.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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 |
CA
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
