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Castilleja parviflora var. albida

mountain Indian paintbrush, pale small-flower paintbrush, white Indian paintbrush, white small-flower paintbrush

Habit Herbs 0.6–2.7 dm.
Leaves

broadly, sometimes narrowly, lanceolate to elliptic, margins plane to ± wavy, (0–)3–5(–7)-lobed, apex acute to obtuse;

lobes ascending, lanceolate.

Bracts

distally white to cream, sometimes suffused with pink to purple, 3–5(–7)-lobed;

lobes lanceolate, arising at or above mid length.

Corollas

12–20(–25) mm;

tube 8–11 mm; subequal to calyx or beak exserted, 5.5–8 mm;

abaxial lip green, brown, or yellow;

teeth white to yellow, sometimes pinkish.

Calyces

green to purple or red, distally white to pink, 12–17(–21) mm;

abaxial clefts (6–)7–8 mm, adaxial 8–10 mm, abaxial ca. 40% of calyx length, adaxial ca. 33% of calyx length, lateral 2–6 mm, 15–25% of calyx length;

lobes triangular, apex acute, sometimes obtuse.

Castilleja parviflora var. albida

Phenology Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Sep.
Habitat Moist to wet meadows, snowmelt streams, receding shorelines, subalpine to lower alpine.
Elevation 1200–2500 m. (3900–8200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
WA; BC
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Variety albida is found in the Cascade Range of southern British Columbia southward to the Wenatchee Mountains of Washington. In central British Columbia, the point of transition into var. parviflora still needs definition. Variety albida is characterized by whitish to cream bracts, although some plants in Okanogan County, Washington, have pink or purple bracts in mixed populations with white-bracted plants.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 641.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Castilleja > Castilleja parviflora
Sibling taxa
C. parviflora var. olympica, C. parviflora var. oreopola, C. parviflora var. parviflora
Synonyms C. oreopola subsp. albida
Name authority (Pennell) Ownbey: in C. L. Hitchcock et al., Vasc. Pl. Pacif. N.W. 4: 317. (1959)
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