Castilleja glandulifera

Herbs, perennial, 1–3 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Stems few-to-many, erect or ascending, sometimes decumbent, unbranched or often branched proximally, hairs spreading, medium length and long, soft, mixed with more abundant stipitate-glandular ones. Leaves green, linear-lanceolate to sometimes narrowly oblong or narrowly oblanceolate, 0.7–3.7 cm, not fleshy, margins wavy, involute, 0 (–5) -lobed, apex acute; lateral lobes ascending to erect, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly oblong, usually narrower than center lobe, apex acute. Inflorescences 2.5–10 × 2–5 cm; bracts proximally pale green to pale-yellow, distally yellow, whitish, pink, dull red, or purple on apices (sometimes gradually differentiated from proximal coloration), lanceolate, broadly lanceolate, or oblong, 3–5 (–7) -lobed, sometimes with secondary lobes; lobes ascending to spreading, linear, sometimes rounded, medium length or distal short, arising near mid length, apex acute to rarely obtuse. Calyces proximally green or pale, distally colored as bracts, 17–21 (–23) mm; abaxial and adaxial clefts 4–8 mm, 33–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 2–6 mm, 15–33% of calyx length; lobes linear, narrowly lanceolate, or narrowly triangular to oblong, apex acute. Corollas straight or slightly curved, (20–) 22–30 mm; tube 15 mm; abaxial lip usually hidden or just visible in abaxial calyx notch, not exserted/longer than calyx, beak exserted; beak straight or slightly curved, adaxially green, 8–11 (–12) mm; abaxial lip deep green to yellow, reduced, slightly pouched, 1–2.5 mm, to 20% as long as beak; teeth incurved, green to yellow, 0.5–1 mm.

Phenology: Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Dry sagebrush steppes, gravelly or rocky slopes, talus, open conifer forests, subalpine.
Elevation: 1400–2500 m.

Oreg.

Discussion

Castilleja glandulifera is endemic to the upper elevations of the Blue and Strawberry mountains of northeastern Oregon, as well as a few adjacent minor ranges. It is related to C. applegatei and C. viscidula, which are the source of reports of C. glandulifera in the Wallowa Mountains and on Steens Mountain. Inflorescences of C. glandulifera are usually white to pale yellow, but in the area around Marble Creek Pass in Baker County, they are multicolored, with a variety of reddish shades mixed in among the yellowish plants. Castilleja glandulifera and C. viscidula share a glandular pubescence, divided leaves, and usually yellowish inflorescences. Castilleja glandulifera is distinguished from C. viscidula by its taller stature, longer corolla beak, and more deeply divided leaves and bracts with linear to linear-lanceolate lobes. Castilleja glandulifera differs from C. applegatei by its unusual leaves and bracts as well as by its habitat and narrower and somewhat shorter corolla beak.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa