Perennial. Stems erect, simple, 5–20 cm. Herbage puberulent. Leaves linear-lanceolate, 1–4 cm long, entire, upper often with linear lobes. Inflorescence puberulent to pilose; bracts green, yellow or purple-tipped, lanceolate with 1 or 2 pairs of narrow, lateral lobes. Flowers: calyx yellow,12–22 mm long, primary clefts slightly deeper adjacent to the galea, ultimate lobes acute, 0.5–3 mm long; corolla 16–21 mm long, galea 2–4 mm long, lower lip 2–3 mm long
(Lesica 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).
Castilleja is a difficult genus because hybridization and allopolyploid speciation (containment of multiple sets of chromosomes that are derived from different species) fuzz a species’ characteristics (Giblin et al. [eds.] 2018).
To identify
Castilleja species, it is important to (Giblin et al. [eds.] 2018):
* note colors of the bract, calyx, and corolla while in the field, and
* press many bracts, calyces, and corollas separately to show their shapes.
Pallid Indian Paintbrush -
Castilleja pallescens, native:
* Bracts are green to yellow or purple-tipped. Calyx is yellow.
* Upper third of the stem with green, often with linear lobed leaves, or at least the central lobe is linear.
* Lobes of the calyx are cleft more deeply in front and back than compared to the sides.
* Ultimate calyx lobes are acute to acuminate.
* Galea is 2-4 mm. Lower corolla lip is 2-3 mm. Thus, lower lip is more than half the length of the galea.
* Inflorescence with puberulent to pilose hairs.
* Montana plants occur in valleys to alpine zones.
Snow Indian Paintbrush -
Castilleja nivea, native:
* Bracts are yellow to purple-tipped and woolly-villous.
* Upper third of the stem with green, lobed leaves.
* Lobes of the calyx are cleft to about the same length.
* Inflorescence villous-tomentose.
* Montana plants occur in the alpine zone (turf and fellfields).
Parrot-head Indian Paintbrush -
Castilleja pilosa var.
longispica, native:
* Bracts are green to yellow or purplish.
* Upper third of the stem with green, lobed leaves.
* Lobes of the calyx are cleft to about the same length.
* Inflorescence with puberulent to sparsely villous hairs.
* Montana plants occur in montane to subalpine zones.
Grasslands, sagebrush steppe, fellfields, open forests, and woodlands from the valleys to alpine zones in Montana (Lesica et al. 2012).
