Castilleja minor

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Castilleja minor
Castilleja minor ssp minor 1.jpg
var. minor
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Orobanchaceae
Genus: Castilleja
Species:
C. minor
Binomial name
Castilleja minor
(A.Gray) A.Gray
Varieties [2]
  • Castilleja minor var. exilis (A.Nelson) J.M.Egger
  • Castilleja minor var. minor
  • Castilleja minor var. spiralis (Jeps.) J.M.Egger
  • Castilleja minor var. stenantha (A.Gray) J.M.Egger
Synonyms [2]
  • Castilleja affinis var. minor A.Gray

Castilleja minor is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae known as thread-torch paintbrush or seep paintbrush. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California and eastward to the Rocky Mountain states.

Contents

Description

Castilleja minor is annual plant that typically grows 20–100 centimeters (8–39 in) tall, but occasionally may reach as much as 1.5 meters (4.9 ft). It may have a short taproot or small fibrous root system. [3] The stems are usually without branches and sparsely covered in loose, pilose hairs, ones that are long and straight. Each plant will have either just a few stems or one alone. [4] Sometimes the hairs are shaggy and this characteristic is associated with Castilleja minor var. minor. [3]

The leaves of thread-torch paintbrush vary widely in size, from as short as 2 centimeters or as long as 10 cm, [3] and are just 2–5 millimeters wide near the base. [4] They also vary widely in color from purple to green and may have a little or a significant gray cast. They may be linear, narrow like a blade of grass, or lanceolate, shaped like a spear point with the widest part below the midpoint of the leaf. [3] The leaves have a soft texture and are not divided into lobes. [3] [4]

The inflorescence is narrow, [5] 5–40 centimeters long and just 1–4 cm wide. [3] The flowers are also, long, narrow, and threadlike. [6]

Taxonomy

Castilleja minor was first scientifically described by Asa Gray as a variety of Castilleja affinis as Castilleja affinis var. minor in 1859. In 1876 he published a revision of his previous classification, changing it to a species with its present name. [2]

Castilleja minor has four accepted varieties. [2]

Names

In English it is known by the common names of thread-torch paintbrush, [6] seep paintbrush, [3] or annual paintbrush. [7] In the early 1900s it was also known as small-flowered painted-cup. [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Castilleja</i> Genus of flowering plants belonging to the broomrape family

Castilleja, commonly known as paintbrush, Indian paintbrush, or prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial mostly herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes, northern Asia, and one species as far west as the Kola Peninsula in northwestern Russia. These plants are classified in the broomrape family Orobanchaceae. They are hemiparasitic on the roots of grasses and forbs. The generic name honors Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo.

<i>Castilleja exserta</i> Species of flowering plant

Castilleja exserta is a species of plant in the genus Castilleja which includes the Indian paintbrushes. Its common names include purple owl's clover, escobita, and exserted Indian paintbrush.

<i>Castilleja angustifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Castilleja angustifolia is a species of wildflower known by the common names northwestern Indian paintbrush and desert Indian paintbrush. It is an herbaceous perennial native to the desert, scrublands, and woodlands of western North America. It grows in hot sandy soils and rock crevices in dry conditions.

<i>Castilleja affinis</i> Species of flowering plant

Castilleja affinis is a species of Castilleja known by the common name coast Indian paintbrush.

<i>Castilleja foliolosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Castilleja foliolosa is a species of paintbrush, known by the common names felt paintbrush and chaparral paintbrush.

<i>Castilleja grisea</i> Species of flowering plant

Castilleja grisea is a rare species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name San Clemente Island Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands of California. San Clemente Island is owned by the US Navy so the Navy is involved in a management program to recover this species.

<i>Castilleja lineariloba</i> Plant species in the broomrape family

Castilleja lineariloba is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name thin-lobed owl’s clover that is endemic to the grasslands of the Sierra Nevada foothills in California.

<i>Castilleja mollis</i> Species of flowering plant

Castilleja mollis is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name softleaf Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it is currently known only from Santa Rosa Island. An occurrence was once noted on San Miguel Island, but the plant has not been found there since 1938. Its habitat is the coastal sage scrub around the windy sand dunes and bluffs.

<i>Palafoxia arida</i> Species of flowering plant

Palafoxia arida is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, known by the common names desert palafox and Spanish needle.

<i>Ribes hudsonianum</i> Species of fruit and plant

Ribes hudsonianum is a North American species of currant, known by the common name northern black currant.

<i>Castilleja septentrionalis</i> Species of flowering plant

Castilleja septentrionalis is a species of Indian paintbrush known by several common names, including northern paintbrush, sulfur paintbrush, and pale painted cup. There is taxonomic disagreement as to if it is one species widely distributed in mountain and alpine environments of North America or if there is a second species, Castilleja sulphurea, in the Rocky Mountains.

<i>Liatris punctata</i> Species of flowering plant

Liatris punctata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names dotted gayfeather, dotted blazingstar, and narrow-leaved blazingstar. It is native to North America, where it occurs throughout the plains of central Canada, the central United States, and northern Mexico.

<i>Tetraneuris acaulis</i> Species of flowering plant in the sunflower family

Tetraneuris acaulis is a North American species of flowering plants in the sunflower family. It is known by many common names in English including stemless four-nerve daisy, stemless hymenoxys, butte marigold, and stemless rubberweed.

<i>Castilleja integra</i> Species of flowering plant

Castilleja integra, with the common names orange paintbrush, Southwestern paintbrush, and wholeleaf paintbrush, is a partially parasitic herbaceous perennial plant native to the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. The species produces a relatively large amount of nectar and is attractive to hummingbirds. It is better suited to cultivation than most other species in the paintbrush genus (Castilleja) and is therefor used in xeriscape gardens and naturalistic meadows, even outside its native range.

<i>Symphyotrichum spathulatum</i> Flower in the family Asteraceae

Symphyotrichum spathulatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to western North America including northwestern Mexico. Commonly known as western mountain aster, it is a perennial, herbaceous plant that may reach 20 to 80 centimeters tall. Its flowers, which open in July and August, have violet ray florets and yellow disk florets.

<i>Castilleja rhexiifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Castilleja rhexiifolia, commonly called rosy paintbrush, subalpine paintbrush, or rhexia-leaved paintbrush, is a species of plant in Orobanchaceae, commonly known as the broomrape family. They are a common flower found in moist habitats near or above timberline in the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest. Like most members of the Castilleja genus, they are partially parasitic plants.

<i>Noccaea fendleri</i> Western North American species of flowering plant in the cabbage family

Noccaea fendleri more commonly known as wild candytuft and alpine pennycress is a wildflower in the mustard family from western North America. It grows in mountains from northern Mexico to the northern United States. It blooms early in the spring and provides nectar to butterflies.

<i>Castilleja lineata</i> Species of plant in the paintbrush flower genus

Castilleja lineata, commonly known as marshmeadow paintbrush or linearlobe paintbrush, is an uncommon species that largely grows in the mountains of northern New Mexico, but is also found in small areas of neighboring Colorado and Arizona. It was not scientifically described until 1901 and is little studied.

<i>Castilleja haydenii</i> Rocky Mountain species of paintbrush flower

Castilleja haydenii, also known as Hayden's paintbrush, is a species of flower found in the mountains of southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, generally above timberline in the alpine tundra. Its purple flowers appear in the months of July through September. It was named after the geologist Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden.

<i>Sphaeralcea parvifolia</i> Plant species in the mallow family

Sphaeralcea parvifolia, commonly called small-leaved globe-mallow or small-leaf globemallow, is a species of plant native to the western United States in the Great Basin and Colorado River drainage. It is medium sized herbaceous species that has showy orange flower spikes. It is used in wildflower and dry gardens.

References

  1. NatureServe (2024). "Castilleja minor". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Castilleja minor (A.Gray) A.Gray". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Egger, J. Mark; Zika, Peter F.; Wilson, Barbara L.; Brainerd, Richard E.; Otting, Nick (6 November 2020). "Castilleja minor". Flora of North America. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 Heil, Kenneth D.; O'Kane, Jr., Steve L.; 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. St. Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. pp. 692–693. ISBN   978-1-930723-84-9. ISSN   0161-1542. LCCN   2012949654. OCLC   859541992 . Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  5. Wetherwax, Margriet; Chuang, T.I.; Heckard, Lawrence R. (2012). "Castilleja minor". Jepson eFlora . University of California, Berkeley. Archived from the original on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  6. 1 2 Niehaus, Theodore F. (1998). A Field Guide to Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. pp. 250–251. ISBN   978-0-585-36531-2.
  7. Keator, Glenn; Middlebrook, Alrie (2007). Designing California Native Gardens : The Plant Community Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-23978-4.
  8. Britton, Nathaniel Lord (1907). Manual of the Flora of the Northern States and Canada. New York: Henry Holt and Company. p. 840. Retrieved 28 September 2024.