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downy paintedcup, Great Plains Indian paintbrush

Castilleja oresbia

pale paintbrush, pale Wallowa Indian paintbrush, pale Wallowa paintbrush

Habit Herbs, perennial, 1–4 dm; from a branching, woody caudex; with a taproot. Herbs, perennial, 0.9–3 dm; from a woody caudex; with a stout taproot.
Stems

few to many, ascending to erect, often decumbent at base, unbranched, sometimes branched, hairs spreading, sometimes matted, short to medium length, ± soft, eglandular, often with a layer of minute-glandular hairs, sometimes woolly.

few to several, erect or ascending, sometimes decumbent at base, unbranched or branched, hairs usually retrorse, medium length, ± soft, eglandular, mixed with very short-glandular ones, sometimes with spreading, long, soft ones.

Leaves

green to purple, or grayish with dust and hairs, linear to narrowly lanceolate, (1–)2–5(–6) cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, (0–)3–5-lobed, apex acuminate to acute;

lobes divergent, spreading, linear, apex acute.

green to purple, linear to lanceolate, 2–7 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, involute, 3–5(–7)-lobed, apex acuminate to acute;

lobes spreading, linear to sometimes narrowly lanceolate, apex acute.

Inflorescences

3–18 × 2.5–6.5 cm;

bracts green to purplish throughout, sometimes reddish brown, pink, or lavender throughout, or distally white or pale yellow, sometimes distally dull pink, pink, salmon, orangish, pale pink-orange, buff, or cream, lanceolate, similar to distal leaves, 3(–5)-lobed;

lobes spreading, linear-lanceolate, long, arising at or below mid length, apex acute to acuminate, sometimes obtuse.

2.5–18 × 1–3.5 cm;

bracts pale green to yellow-green or pale, dull reddish brown throughout, or proximally so colored but changing gradually to cream or yellowish on distal margins, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, (3–)5–7(–9)-lobed;

lobes ascending, linear, long, proximal lobes arising below mid length, central lobe apex obtuse, others acute.

Corollas

strongly curved distally, 35–55 mm;

tube 24–45 mm;

abaxial lip, beak, and distal portion of tube exserted;

beak adaxially green, yellow, pinkish, purplish, or whitish, 9–15 mm;

abaxial lip green, pale green, or purple, protruding, shelflike, 4–8 mm, 50–70% as long as beak;

teeth spreading, white, pale yellow, pink, or purple, 3–4 mm.

straight, 21–36 mm;

tube 16–20 mm;

teeth of abaxial lip often exserted, beak exserted;

beak adaxially green, 4.2–5.5 mm;

abaxial lip green to purple, distally white, conspicuous, slightly but noticeably pouched, often visible through front cleft, 3–5 mm, 67–100% as long as beak, puberulent;

teeth erect, white, 1.8–2.1 mm.

Calyces

colored as bracts, sometimes proximally white, 20–40 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 12–20 mm, 40–60% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 5–15 mm, 10–25% of calyx length;

lobes linear, apex acute to acuminate.

colored as bracts, 10–25 mm;

abaxial and adaxial clefts 6–7 mm, 30–60% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 5–10 mm, 40–50% of calyx length;

lobes linear, apex acute.

2n

= 24.

Castilleja sessiliflora

Castilleja oresbia

Phenology Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Aug(–Oct). Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Dry mixed grass and shortgrass prairies, prairie sandhills, sandsage plains, sand prairies, rocky or sandy slopes, bluffs, open forests, or desert scrub, limestone, sandstone, gypsum, granite, other bedrock types. Dry slopes and plains, sagebrush meadows, grasslands, openings in conifer forests.
Elevation 0–2300 m. (0–7500 ft.) 900–2200 m. (3000–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; IA; IL; KS; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WI; WY; AB; MB; SK; Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Castilleja sessiliflora ranges across the Great Plains from southern Canada to northern Mexico, where it is apparently rare. In Texas and northern Mexico, its range overlaps with the similar C. mexicana. Most populations of C. sessiliflora, especially north of Texas, have white to pale yellow inflorescences; in southwestern Texas they are more variable in color, with pink-purple plants often predominating locally. Those plants with pink-purple inflorescences were named forma purpurina by F. W. Pennell. In the limestone deserts of southern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona, the inflorescences are often a pale pink-orange, but these are intermingled with more typical greenish white plants. Occasional hybrids between C. angustifolia var. dubia and C. sessiliflora are known from northeastern Wyoming.

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

Castilleja oresbia is endemic to eastern Oregon and adjacent Idaho. It is easily confused with both varieties of C. pallescens, which also occur in sagebrush habitats. Castilleja oresbia has longer calyx lobes and softer pubescence than C. pallescens var. pallescens, although some transitional specimens are found. Castilleja oresbia has a combination of longer calyx lobes, longer pubescence, and obscurely nerved bracts, which usually serve to separate it from C. pallescens var. inverta. All three have different, though somewhat overlapping, ranges. Castilleja oresbia occasionally hybridizes with C. peckiana in Grant County, Oregon.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 657. FNA vol. 17, p. 635.
Parent taxa Orobanchaceae > Castilleja Orobanchaceae > Castilleja
Sibling taxa
C. affinis, C. ambigua, C. angustifolia, C. applegatei, C. aquariensis, C. arachnoidea, C. attenuata, C. brevilobata, C. brevistyla, C. campestris, C. cervina, C. chambersii, C. chlorotica, C. christii, C. chromosa, C. chrymactis, C. chrysantha, C. cinerea, C. citrina, C. coccinea, C. collegiorum, C. covilleana, C. crista-galli, C. cryptantha, C. cusickii, C. densiflora, C. dissitiflora, C. disticha, C. elata, C. elegans, C. elmeri, C. exserta, C. flava, C. foliolosa, C. fraterna, C. genevieveana, C. glandulifera, C. gleasoni, C. gracillima, C. grisea, C. haydenii, C. hispida, C. hololeuca, C. hyperborea, C. indivisa, C. integra, C. kaibabensis, C. kerryana, C. kraliana, C. lacera, C. lanata, C. lasiorhyncha, C. lassenensis, C. latifolia, C. lemmonii, C. leschkeana, C. levisecta, C. linariifolia, C. lindheimeri, C. lineariloba, C. lineata, C. litoralis, C. lutescens, C. martini, C. mendocinensis, C. mexicana, C. miniata, C. minor, C. mogollonica, C. mollis, C. montigena, C. nana, C. nelsonii, C. nervata, C. nivea, C. occidentalis, C. oresbia, C. organorum, C. ornata, C. pallescens, C. pallida, C. parviflora, C. parvula, C. patriotica, C. peckiana, C. peirsonii, C. pilosa, C. plagiotoma, C. praeterita, C. pruinosa, C. puberula, C. pulchella, C. purpurascens, C. purpurea, C. raupii, C. revealii, C. rhexiifolia, C. rigida, C. rubicundula, C. rubida, C. rupicola, C. salsuginosa, C. scabrida, C. schizotricha, C. septentrionalis, C. subinclusa, C. suksdorfii, C. tenuiflora, C. tenuis, C. thompsonii, C. tomentosa, C. uliginosa, C. unalaschcensis, C. victoriae, C. viscidula, C. wightii, C. wootonii, C. xanthotricha
C. affinis, C. ambigua, C. angustifolia, C. applegatei, C. aquariensis, C. arachnoidea, C. attenuata, C. brevilobata, C. brevistyla, C. campestris, C. cervina, C. chambersii, C. chlorotica, C. christii, C. chromosa, C. chrymactis, C. chrysantha, C. cinerea, C. citrina, C. coccinea, C. collegiorum, C. covilleana, C. crista-galli, C. cryptantha, C. cusickii, C. densiflora, C. dissitiflora, C. disticha, C. elata, C. elegans, C. elmeri, C. exserta, C. flava, C. foliolosa, C. fraterna, C. genevieveana, C. glandulifera, C. gleasoni, C. gracillima, C. grisea, C. haydenii, C. hispida, C. hololeuca, C. hyperborea, C. indivisa, C. integra, C. kaibabensis, C. kerryana, C. kraliana, C. lacera, C. lanata, C. lasiorhyncha, C. lassenensis, C. latifolia, C. lemmonii, C. leschkeana, C. levisecta, C. linariifolia, C. lindheimeri, C. lineariloba, C. lineata, C. litoralis, C. lutescens, C. martini, C. mendocinensis, C. mexicana, C. miniata, C. minor, C. mogollonica, C. mollis, C. montigena, C. nana, C. nelsonii, C. nervata, C. nivea, C. occidentalis, C. organorum, C. ornata, C. pallescens, C. pallida, C. parviflora, C. parvula, C. patriotica, C. peckiana, C. peirsonii, C. pilosa, C. plagiotoma, C. praeterita, C. pruinosa, C. puberula, C. pulchella, C. purpurascens, C. purpurea, C. raupii, C. revealii, C. rhexiifolia, C. rigida, C. rubicundula, C. rubida, C. rupicola, C. salsuginosa, C. scabrida, C. schizotricha, C. septentrionalis, C. sessiliflora, C. subinclusa, C. suksdorfii, C. tenuiflora, C. tenuis, C. thompsonii, C. tomentosa, C. uliginosa, C. unalaschcensis, C. victoriae, C. viscidula, C. wightii, C. wootonii, C. xanthotricha
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 738. (1813) Greenman: Bot. Gaz. 48: 147. (1909)
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