Castilleja parviflora var. parviflora

Herbs 1.3–3 (–5) dm. Leaves narrowly to broadly lanceolate or elliptic, margins plane, (3–) 5–9-lobed, apex acute; lobes spreading, linear. Bracts distally magenta to pink-purple, sometimes pale orange, pink, or whitish, (3–) 5 (–7) -lobed; lobes lanceolate-acuminate, arising near or above mid length. Calyces colored as bracts, 12–17 (–20) mm; abaxial and adaxial clefts 6–11 mm, lateral 2–6 mm, 20–35% of calyx length; lobes narrowly triangular, apex acute. Corollas 12–20 (–25) mm; tube 10–12 mm; beak exserted, 5.5–7 mm; abaxial lip green; teeth green.

Phenology: Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat: Mesic to wet meadows, stream banks, rocky slopes, ridges, ledges, scree, heathlands, subalpine to lower alpine.
Elevation: 150–2300 m.

Alta., B.C., Yukon, Alaska.

Discussion

Variety parviflora has relatively long hairs, many-lobed leaves, and a short corolla. Compared to the other varieties, it has a more boreal range, extending north to extreme southeastern Alaska and the Kluane Lake region of extreme southwestern Yukon. Specimens from northern and central British Columbia belong to this variety, but its precise southern limits and potential overlap with var. albida in southern British Columbia are still incompletely known. Plants presumably assignable to var. parviflora are also found in the Canadian Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of Banff and Jasper National parks, but they were until recently rarely collected and deserve further study.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa