Castilleja flava

S. Watson

Botany (Fortieth Parallel), 230. 1871.

Common names: Yellow paintbrush
IllustratedEndemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 607. Mentioned on page 567, 576, 579, 605, 608, 622, 648.

Herbs, perennial, 1.5–5.5 (–7.5) dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Stems several to many, erect or ascending, often grayish, unbranched or often branched distally, glabrate proximally or hairy, especially distally, rarely glabrous, hairs sparse, spreading to appressed, usually curly, ± short, soft, sometimes mixed with sparse, short-stipitate-glandular ones. Leaves often grayish or purplish, linear to narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblong, (1–) 2.5–5 (–6.7) cm, not fleshy, margins plane or wavy, involute, deeply (0–) 3–5 (–7) -lobed, apex acute to acuminate; lobes divaricate to spreading or ascending, linear, arising at or below mid length, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences 3.5–20 (–29) × 1–4 cm; bracts pale green to pale-yellow throughout, or proximally pale green to pale-yellow, distally pale-yellow to bright-yellow, sometimes light orange, light red, or bright red, lanceolate to narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic, slightly broader than leaves, usually 3–5-lobed; lobes ± spreading, linear or narrowly lanceolate, short or long, proximal or all bracts arising near or below mid length, apex acute, sometimes narrowly obtuse. Calyces proximally green, sometimes purple or pinkish, distally yellow to light orange, dull green, or colored as bracts, 11–28 mm; abaxial and adaxial clefts 4–16 (–17) mm, 30–60 (–95) % of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–7 mm, 4–30% of calyx length; lobes linear to lanceolate or narrowly to broadly triangular, apex acute to acuminate. Corollas straight or ± curved, 13–30 mm; tube 12–16 mm; beak, sometimes abaxial lip, slightly to strongly exserted, corolla often curved and exserted through abaxial cleft; beak adaxially green, (5–) 6–12 mm; abaxial lip green or yellow, reduced, exserted or more commonly visible in cleft in calyx, 1–3.5 mm, 20–33 (–50) % as long as beak; teeth ascending, green to yellow, 0.5–2 mm. 2n = 48.

Distribution

Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., Oreg., Utah, Wyo.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Both varieties of Castilleja flava are characteristic plants of sagebrush-dominated communities throughout its wide range, from valleys to moderate elevations in the mountains, sometimes reaching the lower subalpine. The species almost always occurs in close association with shrubby species of Artemisia.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Corolla beaks 5–12 mm, abaxial lips 1–2 mm; calyx abaxial clefts 8–16 mm, adaxial 4–8(–15.5) mm; n Great Basin, c Rocky Mountains. Castilleja flava var. flava
1 Corolla beaks 5–8(–9.5) mm, abaxial lips (1.5–)2–3.5 mm; calyx abaxial and adaxial clefts subequal, (6–)7–13(–17) mm; mountains of ne Oregon to c Idaho. Castilleja flava var. rustica

"slightly broader" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Castilleja flava"
1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br /> (1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br />) +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
yellow +  and green +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
acute +  and acuminate +
J. Mark Egger +, Peter F. Zika +, Barbara L. Wilson +, Richard E. Brainerd +  and Nick Otting +
S. Watson +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
not +, leathery +  and fleshy +
bright red;light red;bright red;light red;light orange;proximally pale green;pale-yellow distally pale-yellow +
below mid below mid lobes +  and arising +
3-5-lobed +, lanceolate +  and narrowly oblong or narrowly elliptic +
pinkish distally yellow +  and light orange dull green or colored +
2-lobed +, lobed +  and tubular +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (2.8 cm28 mm <br />0.028 m <br />) +
taprooted;fibrous-rooted or rhizomatous +
fleshy +  and woody +
Yellow paintbrush +
purple +, pink +, red +, orange +, yellow +, white +, green +  and pale greenish +
curved +  and straight +
divided +  and tubular +
1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Nev. +, Oreg. +, Utah +  and Wyo. +
spreading-hairy +  and glabrous +
2 +  and 1 +
indehiscent +, septicidal +, loculicidal +  and dehiscence +
much-branched +, unbranched +  and eglandular +
spreading +  and appressed +
stipitate-glandular +
20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br /> (29 cm290 mm <br />0.29 m <br />) +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
axillary +  and terminal +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
spiral +, whorled +, alternate +  and opposite +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (6.7 cm67 mm <br />0.067 m <br />) +
purplish +  and grayish +
deciduous +
basal +  and cauline +
linear;narrowly lanceolate or narrowly oblong +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
not fleshy +
abaxial +  and exserted +
3 (?) +, 2 (?) +  and 4 (?) +
linear +  and lanceolate or +
subequal +
(0-)3-5(-7)-lobed +, wavy +  and plane +
tenuinucellate +  and unitegmic +
campylotropous-like +
Botany (Fortieth Parallel), +
stramineous +
20 +  and 100 +
trapezoidal +, oblong-ovoid +, pyramidal +  and ovoid +
Illustrated +  and Endemic +
non-secund +  and secund +
elongate +
subequal +
branched +  and unbranched +
sprawling +  and prostrate +
aerial +  and subterranean +
ascending +  and erect +
glabrous +, hairy +  and glabrate +
several;many +
not fleshy +
2-lobed +  and entire +
Euchroma +  and Oncorhynchus +
Castilleja flava +
Castilleja +
species +
green +  and yellow +
shallow;deep +
reduced +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +