Castilleja angustifolia
| Castilleja angustifolia | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Orobanchaceae |
| Genus: | Castilleja |
| Species: | C. angustifolia
|
| Binomial name | |
| Castilleja angustifolia | |
| Varieties[2] | |
| |
| Synonyms[2][3][4][5] | |
|
List
| |
Castilleja angustifolia is a species of wildflower known by the common names northwestern paintbrush and desert paintbrush. It is an herbaceous perennial native to the desert, scrublands, and woodlands of western North America.[6] It grows in hot sandy soils and rock crevices in dry conditions.[7]
Description
This Indian paintbrush is under half a meter in height and has bristly gray-green to purple-red herbage. It stands in a clump of erect stems, each topped with an inflorescence of somewhat tubular yellow green flowers. The flowers are encased in bright red to orange-red bracts,[8] sometimes tinted with purple, and usually fuzzy with a thin coat of white hairs.[9] The upper leaves and bracts are divided into 3–5 segments, while the lower leaves are undivided, long, and narrow.[10]
The plant flowers from May to September.[11] In areas such as Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, it is often associated with sagebrush.[10] The brightly colored bracts are used to attach pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies that would otherwise ignore the plant's small yellow green flowers.[12] The centimeter-long capsule fruits contain honeycomb-patterned seeds.
The species is similar to Castilleja linariifolia.[10]
Taxonomy
Castilleja angustifolia was given the scientific name Euchroma angustifolia by Thomas Nuttall in 1834. Four years later in 1838 it was moved to the genus Castilleja by George Don. Together with its genus it is classified in the family Orobanchaceae. It has three accepted varieties.[2]
- Castilleja angustifolia var. angustifolia – Northwestern US[3]
- Castilleja angustifolia var. dubia – Rocky Mountains and South Dakota[4]
- Castilleja angustifolia var. flavescens – Nevada, Idaho, and Utah[5]
Castilleja angustifolia has twelve synonyms of the species or one of its varieties.[2][3][4][5]
| Name | Year | Rank | Synonym of: | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castilleja angustifolia var. adenophora Fernald | 1898 | variety | var. angustifolia | = het. |
| Castilleja angustifolia subsp. bradburii (Nutt.) Piper & Beattie | 1915 | subspecies | var. angustifolia | = het. |
| Castilleja angustifolia var. bradburii (Nutt.) Fernald | 1898 | variety | var. angustifolia | = het. |
| Castilleja angustifolia var. subcinerea (Rydb.) A.Nelson & J.F.Macbr. | 1916 | variety | var. angustifolia | = het. |
| Castilleja bennittii A.Nelson & J.F.Macbr. | 1913 | species | var. angustifolia | = het. |
| Castilleja bradburii (Nutt.) G.Don | 1838 | species | var. angustifolia | = het. |
| Castilleja buffumii A.Nelson | 1909 | species | var. angustifolia | = het. |
| Castilleja dubia (A.Nelson) A.Nelson | 1909 | species | var. dubia | ≡ hom. |
| Castilleja flavescens Pennell ex Edwin | 1959 | species | var. flavescens | ≡ hom. |
| Castilleja subcinerea Rydb. | 1913 | species | var. angustifolia | = het. |
| Euchroma angustifolia Nutt. | 1834 | species | E. angustifolia | ≡ hom. |
| Euchroma bradburii Nutt. | 1834 | species | var. angustifolia | = het. |
| Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym ; = heterotypic synonym | ||||
Names
It is known by the common names narrow-leaf paintbrush or northwestern paintbrush.[13][14] Castilleja angustifolia shares many names with other plant species. For example it is called narrowleaf paintbrush as is Castilleja linariifolia,[15][16] it is desert paintbrush in southern California,[17][14] but Castilleja chromosa is frequently known by this name,[18] and both it and Castilleja miniata are called common paintbrush.[17][19] Like other species in its genus,[20] it is also sometimes simply called paintbrush.[14]
References
Citations
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Castilleja angustifolia (Nutt.) G.Don". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "Castilleja angustifolia var. angustifolia". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "Castilleja angustifolia var. dubia A.Nelson". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "Castilleja angustifolia var. flavescens (Pennell ex Edwin) N.H.Holmgren". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
- ^ "Plants Profile for Castilleja angustifolia (northwestern Indian paintbrush)". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "Southwest Colorado Wildflowers, Castilleja chromosa". www.swcoloradowildflowers.com. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
- ^ "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "Desert Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja chromosa or angustifolia - DesertUSA". www.desertusa.com. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
- ^ a b c Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 56. ISBN 0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
- ^ "UC/JEPS: Jepson Manual treatment for CASTILLEJA angustifolia". ucjeps.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "Desert Paintbrush - Parashant National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-02-05. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
- ^ Taylor 1998, p. 82.
- ^ a b c Dodge 1982, p. 75.
- ^ Strickler 1993, p. 232.
- ^ Buchanan 1974, p. 16.
- ^ a b Clinesmith & Sellars 2001, p. 76.
- ^ Heil et al. 2013, p. 690.
- ^ Egger et al. 2020b.
- ^ Tierney & Hughes 1983, p. 164.
Sources
- Books
- Buchanan, Hayle (1974). Living Color: Wildflower Communities of Bryce Canyon & Cedar Breaks (Second ed.). Bryce Canyon, Utah: Bryce Canyon Natural History Association. OCLC 7958845. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- Clinesmith, Larry L.; Sellars, Elsie L. (2001). Red Rock Canyon Plants. Las Vegas, Nevada: Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association. ISBN 978-0-9707179-0-0. OCLC 46877902. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- Dodge, Natt N. (Natt Noyes) (1982). 100 desert wildflowers in natural color (Ninth Printing ed.). Globe, Arizona: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association. ISBN 978-0-911408-42-3. OCLC 42134838. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- Heil, Kenneth D.; O'Kane, Steve L. Jr.; Reeves, Linda Mary; Clifford, Arnold (2013). Flora of the Four Corners Region: Vascular Plants of the San Juan River Drainage, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah (First ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. ISBN 978-1-930723-84-9. ISSN 0161-1542. LCCN 2012949654. OCLC 859541992. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- Strickler, Dee (1993). Wayside Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest (1st ed.). Columbia Falls, Montana: Flower Press. ISBN 978-1-56044-185-4. OCLC 29475568.
- Taylor, Ronald J. (1998). Desert Wildflowers of North America. Missoula, Mont: Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-87842-376-7. OCLC 38239495. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- Tierney, Gail D.; Hughes, Phyllis (1983). Roadside plants of northern New Mexico. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Lightning Tree. ISBN 978-0-89016-067-1. OCLC 9575477. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- Web sources
- Egger, J. Mark; Zika, Peter F.; Wilson, Barbara L.; Brainerd, Richard E.; Otting, Nick (6 November 2020a) [In print 2019]. "Castilleja angustifolia". Flora of North America. p. 586. ISBN 978-0-19-086851-2. OCLC 1101573420. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- Egger, J. Mark; Zika, Peter F.; Wilson, Barbara L.; Brainerd, Richard E.; Otting, Nick (6 November 2020b) [In print 2019]. "Castilleja miniata". Flora of North America. p. 627. ISBN 978-0-19-086851-2. OCLC 1101573420. Archived from the original on 16 July 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
External links
Media related to Castilleja angustifolia at Wikimedia Commons