Flora of North America species comparison

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Castilleja thompsonii

Castilleja dissitiflora

Thompson's Indian paintbrush, Thompson's owl clover, Thompson's paintbrush

Mount Hamilton paintbrush, Mt. Hamilton Indian paintbrush
Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.8–4 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 1.8–4(–5) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot.
Stems

few to many, erect or ascending, unbranched or branched, hairs spreading, long, stiff, sometimes soft (especially in higher elevations), eglandular, mixed with shorter stipitate-glandular ones.

several to many, erect to ascending, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs spreading, long, soft, mixed with shorter stipitate-glandular ones.
Leaves

green to purple or reddish brown, linear to narrowly oblong or linear-lanceolate, 1.4–7.4 cm, not fleshy, margins plane to ± wavy, involute or flat, 3(–7)-lobed, apex acuminate;

lobes spreading-ascending, linear, short to long moving up leaf axis, apex acute or obtuse.

green, linear to narrowly or broadly lanceolate, (1–)3–5(–6) cm, not fleshy, margins wavy (obscure on many pressed specimens), involute, usually 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex broadly acute to rounded;

lobes widely spreading, linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute to acuminate.
Inflorescences

2.5–14 × 1–4 cm;

bracts greenish to pale yellow or reddish brown throughout, or proximally greenish to dull reddish purple, or ruddy brown, distally greenish to yellow-green or yellow, often aging dull reddish to dull purplish, lanceolate to oblong to ovate, 3–5(–9)-lobed;

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

2.5–10 × 2–5.5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally red to red-orange, narrowly lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, 3–5-lobed;

lobes spreading, distal, if present, ascending, linear or narrowly oblanceolate to triangular, proximals long, arising below mid blade, distals short, sometimes mere teeth, near apex of central lobe, sometimes wavy-margined, apex obtuse to rounded, sometimes acute.
Corollas

straight, 18–21 mm;

tube 11–16 mm; subequal to calyx, sometimes beak exserted;

beak adaxially green, 5–7(–8) mm;

abaxial lip white, often proximally reddish, prominent, scarcely expanded, ± cylindric, 2.5–4(–5) mm, 50–70% as long as beak, glabrous or obscurely puberulent;

teeth incurved to erect, white, 2.5 mm.

straight to slightly curved, 24–38 mm;

tube 14–21 mm;

beak exserted from calyx, adaxially green, 11–16.5(–18) mm;

abaxial lip green, reduced, visible or not through deep front cleft in calyx, 2 mm, 13% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, green, 1 mm.
Calyces

colored as bracts, 12–25 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 4–8 mm, 20–60% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral (0–)1–3 mm, 7–25% of calyx length;

lobes linear, lanceolate, or triangular, apex acute, sometimes obtuse.

whitish with green veins or green, sometimes purple, distally same color as bracts, sometimes with yellowish band below colored apices, 20–26(–29) mm;

abaxial clefts (8–)13–16(–19) mm, adaxial 7–12(–14) mm, clefts 35–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–6(–8) mm, 10–30% of calyx length;

lobes linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, apex obtuse to acute.
2n

= 24, 48.

= 48.

Castilleja thompsonii

Castilleja dissitiflora
Phenology Flowering Apr–Aug(–Sep). Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Dry slopes, ridges, scabland lithosol soils, meadows, sagebrush steppes, valleys, montane to alpine. Sagebrush slopes often rocky, montane to subalpine.
Elevation 200–2100 m. (700–6900 ft.) 1900–3300 m. (6200–10800 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja thompsonii is a characteristic species of the sagebrush communities on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range in Washington, and in the high deserts of the Columbia Basin. Historically, its range approached but apparently never entered Idaho in the Spokane River valley, but much of its habitat in that area is now converted to agriculture or suburban development or overwhelmed by non-native, invasive plants. Castilleja thompsonii occurs in a few sites in the Okanogan Valley region of southern British Columbia and at one site on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range in Wasco County, Oregon. A distinctive form from the subalpine and alpine zones of Mt. Adams, in the southern Cascade Range of Washington, was named C. villicaulis. This form may merit varietal status under C. thompsonii. While both names were described in the same paper, C. thompsonii is the name used in all regional floras since their publication, after C. villicaulis was reduced to synonymy by M. Ownbey (1959).

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

Castilleja dissitiflora is endemic to several mountain ranges in central and eastern Nevada, in the upper montane and lower subalpine zones. It has the deep abaxial calyx cleft of C. linariifolia and the stipitate-glandular, wavy-margined leaves of C. applegatei var. pinetorum. Based on morphological data, Holmgren suggested that it is an allopolyploid derived from hybridization of C. applegatei var. pinetorum and C. linariifolia. His proposal is plausible and should be further tested. Castilleja dissitiflora is a tetraploid, while both putative parental species have at least some diploid populations.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 661. FNA vol. 17, p. 603.
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. rupicola, C. salsuginosa, C. scabrida, C. schizotricha, C. septentrionalis, C. sessiliflora, C. subinclusa, C. suksdorfii, C. tenuiflora, C. tenuis, 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. 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. 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. villicaulis
Name authority Pennell: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 99: 178. (1947) — (as thompsoni) N. H. Holmgren: Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 21(4): 46, figs. 6–8. (1971)
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).



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