Flora of North America species comparison

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Castilleja thompsonii

Castilleja wootonii

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

Sacramento Mountain Indian paintbrush, Wooton's paintbrush
Habit Herbs, perennial, 0.8–4 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 1.6–6.5 dm; from a woody caudex; with a woody taproot or branching roots.
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.

solitary or few to many, erect, unbranched to much-branched, glabrous or hairy proximally and/or distally, hairs sparse to dense, spreading to erect, short to fairly long, soft, eglandular.
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, narrowly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, linear, or narrowly elliptic, 2–8 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, flat or involute, 0(–5)-lobed, apex acuminate;

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

3–16 × 2–3.5 cm;

bracts proximally greenish, distally red to orange-red, sometimes with a purplish medial band, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate or ovate in outline, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed, sometimes also with 4 small teeth;

lobes ascending, linear-lanceolate, long, arising above or below mid length, apex acuminate, acute, or obtuse.
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.

slightly to moderately curved distally, 25–37 mm;

tube 16–20 mm;

beak exserted 10–16 mm beyond calyx, adaxially green to yellowish, 11–25 mm;

abaxial lip green or red, small, inconspicuous, visible through cleft of calyx, 2 mm, 15–20% as long as beak;

teeth incurved, green or red, 0.7–1.5 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.

proximally green, distally red, 20–25 mm;

abaxial clefts 11–14(–17) mm, adaxial 8–9 mm, abaxial 50–60% of calyx length, adaxial 35–40% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 5–7 mm, 10–15% of calyx length;

lobes lanceolate to narrowly triangular, apex acute to acuminate.
2n

= 24, 48.

Castilleja thompsonii

Castilleja wootonii
Phenology Flowering Apr–Aug(–Sep). Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Dry slopes, ridges, scabland lithosol soils, meadows, sagebrush steppes, valleys, montane to alpine. Grasslands, rocky slopes, ledges, canyons, open forests, montane to subalpine.
Elevation 200–2100 m. (700–6900 ft.) 2000–3700 m. (6600–12100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NM; TX
[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 wootonii is endemic to the White Mountains (Sierra Blanca) in south-central New Mexico and to the Mt. Livermore massif of western Texas. It should be sought in the intervening Guadalupe Mountains. Based on morphology, C. wootonii appears to be a southern derivative of C. linariifolia.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 661. FNA vol. 17, p. 665.
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. 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. thompsonii, C. tomentosa, C. uliginosa, C. unalaschcensis, C. victoriae, C. viscidula, C. wightii, C. xanthotricha
Synonyms C. villicaulis C. ciliata
Name authority Pennell: Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 99: 178. (1947) — (as thompsoni) Standley: Muhlenbergia 5: 84. (1909)
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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