Castilleja sessiliflora

Castilleja sessiliflora
Conservation status
Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Genus:	Castilleja
Species:	C. sessiliflora
Binomial name
Castilleja sessiliflora Pursh
Synonyms [2]
Bartsia grandiflora Castilleja grandiflora Euchroma grandiflora

Castilleja sessiliflora is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common names downy paintbrush and downy paintedcup. It is native to the Great Plains of North America from southern Canada, through the central United States, to northern Mexico. It occurs as far west as the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. ^[3]

Description

This perennial herb produces one or more stems 10 to 40 centimeters (4 to 16 in) tall from a woody root crown. ^[4] It is hemiparasitic, obtaining water and nutrients from other plants by tapping their roots. This Castilleja species has been observed parasitizing eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) and oldfield juniper (J. communis var. depressa). It reproduces sexually and vegetatively by resprouting from its root crown. ^[3]

The petals are fused and form a curvilinear tube. The sepals are shorter, with narrow lobes. Altogether, the inflorescence is green, yellowish, and pink. ^[5]

This plant grows in several habitat types, including prairie, shinnery, Texas savanna, and shrubsteppe. ^[3] It is pollinated by a hawk moth. ^[5]

There is anecdotal evidence that Castilleja sessiliflora is less dependent on host plants than other members of its genus. The noted wildflower writer Claude A. Barr reported that a specimen was successfully moved by him into a garden where it lived for several years and produced one seedling without an apparent host. ^[6]

Taxonomy

Castilleja sessiliflora was given its scientific name in 1813 by Frederick Traugott Pursh. It is classified as part of the genus Castilleja within the family Orobanchaceae. It has no accepted subspecies, but has one in its five heterotypic synonyms. ^[2]

Table of Synonyms

Name	Year	Rank
Bartsia grandifloraSpreng.	1821	species
Castilleja grandiflora(Nutt.) Spreng.	1825	species
Castilleja sessiliflora subsp. betheliCockerell	1918	subspecies
Castilleja sessiliflora f. purpurinaPennell	1935	form
Euchroma grandifloraNutt.	1818	species

Names

The binomial name, Castilleja sessiliflora, is Botanical Latin with the second part meaning its flowers have no stalks. ^[7] It is known by the common names downy paintedcup, ^[8] downy paintbrush, ^[7] and Great Plains paintbrush. ^[5]

References

Citations

1. NatureServe 2025.
2. POWO 2025.
3. Walsh, Roberta A. (1993). "Castilleja sessiliflora". Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (USFS), Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
4. Egger et al. 2020.
5. Taylor 1992, p. 60.
6. Barr, Claude A. (1983). Jewels of the plains : wild flowers of the Great Plains grasslands and hills. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 54. ISBN   0-8166-1127-0.
7. Holloway 2005, p. 32.
8. Blank 2005, p. 75.

Sources

Books

• Blank, D. Linnell (2005). Montana Wildflowers. Helena, Montana: Farcountry Press. ISBN   978-1-56037-368-1. OCLC   62786886 . Retrieved 2 December 2025.
• Holloway, Joel Ellis (2005). Neill, Amanda (ed.). A Dictionary of Common Wildflowers of Texas and the Southern Great Plains. Fort Worth, Texas: TCU Press. ISBN   978-0-87565-309-9. OCLC   61451157.
• Taylor, Ronald J. (1992). Sagebrush Country : A Wildflower Sanctuary (revised ed.). Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN   978-0-87842-280-7. OCLC   25708726.

Web sources

• Egger, J. Mark; Zika, Peter F.; Wilson, Barbara L.; Brainerd, Richard E.; Otting, Nick (5 November 2020) [In print 2019]. "Castilleja sessiliflora". Flora of North America . p. 657. ISBN   978-0-19-086851-2. OCLC   1101573420. Archived from the original on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
• NatureServe (1 November 2025). "Castilleja sessiliflora". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
• POWO (2025). "Castilleja sessiliflora Pursh". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 2 December 2025.

External links

• Castilleja sessiliflora in the CalPhotos photo database, University of California, Berkeley