Castilleja aquariensis

N. H. Holmgren

Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 100: 87, fig. 3. 1973.

Common names: Aquarius Plateau paintbrush
EndemicConservation concern
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 589. Mentioned on page 578.

Herbs, perennial, 1.1–3.9 dm; from a woody caudex; with numerous, thickened roots. Stems few to several, ascending to erect, unbranched, hairs moderately dense, often retrorse, short, ± stiff, stipitate-glandular distally only in inflorescence. Leaves appressed-ascending, green to purplish, linear to narrowly lanceolate, distal sometimes broadly lanceolate, (1–) 2.5–4 (–5.5) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, 0 (–5) -lobed, apex rounded to acuminate; lobes ascending, linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute. Inflorescences 2–7 × 1.5–2 cm; bracts proximally pale green to pale yellow-green, distally pale to bright-yellow or cream, rarely pale orange, elliptic, narrowly ovate, elliptic-oblong, broadly lanceolate, or ovate, (0–) 3 (–5) -lobed; lobes ascending or spreading, narrowly lanceolate, short, arising near tip on distal bracts, central lobe apex rounded to truncate, lateral ones acute to rounded. Calyces proximally green to yellowish, distal 1/2 yellow, (16–) 18–25 mm; abaxial and adaxial clefts (8–) 9.5–12.5 mm, 50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 0.5–5 (–6) mm, 5–20% of calyx length; lobes lanceolate to ovate, apex acute to obtuse. Corollas straight, 17–25 mm; tube 9–13 mm; beak exserted, adaxially green, 6–8 (–12) mm, margins red or reddish-brown, short-hairy; abaxial lip green, reduced, sometimes exserted, 1.5–2 mm, 10–15% as long as beak, glabrous; teeth erect, green, 0.5–1.5 mm.


Phenology: Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Meadows with sagebrush, openings in spruce-fir forests.
Elevation: 2900–3400 m.

Discussion

Castilleja aquariensis is endemic to the Aquarius Plateau in the mountains of south-central Utah. Its meadow habitats were severely degraded by livestock grazing, and at one time the species was a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act of the United States. It is still a species of management concern.

Castilleja aquariensis is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Castilleja aquariensis"
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
acute +  and obtuse +
J. Mark Egger +, Peter F. Zika +, Barbara L. Wilson +, Richard E. Brainerd +  and Nick Otting +
N. H. Holmgren +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
not +, leathery +  and fleshy +
pale orange;proximally pale green;pale yellow-green distally pale +
(0-)3(-5)-lobed +, ovate +, lanceolate +, elliptic-oblong +  and elliptic +
1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
yellow +, proximally green +  and yellowish +
2-lobed +, lobed +  and tubular +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
taprooted;fibrous-rooted or rhizomatous +
fleshy +  and woody +
Aquarius Plateau paintbrush +
purple +, pink +, red +, orange +, yellow +, white +, green +  and pale greenish +
divided +  and tubular +
1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (5.5 cm55 mm <br />0.055 m <br />) +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
2900–3400 m. +
spreading-hairy +  and glabrous +
2 +  and 1 +
indehiscent +, septicidal +, loculicidal +  and dehiscence +
Meadows with sagebrush, openings in spruce-fir forests. +
much-branched +, unbranched +  and eglandular +
stipitate-glandular +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
axillary +  and terminal +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
spiral +, whorled +, alternate +  and opposite +
green +  and purplish +
deciduous +
appressed-ascending +
basal +  and cauline +
linear;narrowly lanceolate +
arising +, spreading +  and ascending +
3 (?) +, 2 (?) +  and 4 (?) +
lanceolate +  and ovate +
subequal +
reddish-brown +  and red +
short-hairy +
0(-5)-lobed +  and plane +
tenuinucellate +  and unitegmic +
campylotropous-like +
Flowering Jun–Aug. +
Bull. Torrey Bot. Club +
stramineous +
20 +  and 100 +
trapezoidal +, oblong-ovoid +, pyramidal +  and ovoid +
Endemic +  and Conservation concern +
non-secund +  and secund +
elongate +
subequal +
sprawling +  and prostrate +
aerial +  and subterranean +
ascending +  and erect +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
few;several +
not fleshy +
2-lobed +  and entire +
Euchroma +  and Oncorhynchus +
Castilleja aquariensis +
Castilleja +
species +
shallow;deep +
reduced +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +