Castilleja unalaschcensis

(Chamisso & Schlechtendal) Malte

Rhodora 36: 187. 1934.

Common names: Coastal paintbrush
Basionym: Castilleja pallida var. unalaschcensis Chamisso & Schlechtendal Linnaea 2: 581. 1827
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 17. Treatment on page 663. Mentioned on page 578, 596, 629.

Herbs, perennial, 2–8 dm; from a short, stout, scaly, many-headed, woody caudex; with rhizomes or branching, woody roots. Stems few-to-many, erect to ascending, unbranched or branched distally, glabrate proximally, hairy distally, hairs sparse, spreading to erect, long, soft, eglandular, rarely stipitate-glandular. Leaves green, sometimes red-purplish, lanceolate-linear to lanceolate, elliptic-ovate, or ovate, (1.2–) 3.5–10 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, flat to slightly involute, 0 (–3) -lobed, apex acuminate to acute; lobes ascending, lanceolate, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences 3.5–18 × 2–6.5 cm; bracts proximally green, distally yellow, pale-yellow, whitish, yellow-green, or pale orange, often aging reddish or pink, lanceolate, elliptic, ovate, oblanceolate, or oblong to narrowly obovate, (0–) 3–5-lobed; lobes ascending, linear to oblong, short, arising above mid length, apex acute to obtuse. Calyces colored as bracts, 15–28 mm; abaxial cleft 12–16 mm, adaxial 8–11.5 mm, clefts 40–50% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 4–10 mm, 20–35% of calyx length; lobes oblong to lanceolate, apex acute to obtuse or rounded. Corollas straight or slightly curved, 18–28 mm; tube 16–19 mm; beak partially to completely exserted, abaxial lip not exserted; beak adaxially green, 6–13 mm; abaxial lip deep green, reduced, inconspicuous, 1–2 mm, ca. 20% as long as beak; teeth incurved, deep green or white, 0.5–1 mm. 2n = ca. 96.


Phenology: Flowering May–Sep.
Habitat: Meadows, dunes, thickets, upper margins of tidal flats, river flats, gravel bars, tundra, open forests, roadsides, coastal to alpine.
Elevation: 0–2100 m.

Distribution

B.C., Yukon, Alaska, Asia (Russian Far East)

Discussion

Castilleja unalaschcensis is a characteristic meadow species across much of the southern Alaskan coast, including the Aleutian Islands, as well as on the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) and the mainland of western British Columbia and southern Yukon. It is common in the coastal littoral zone and ascends to lower alpine meadow communities. Morphologically, it appears to be a sister species to C. septentrionalis of the Rocky Mountains and boreal sites in eastern North America. A weakly differentiated interior form was described as subsp. transnivalis Pennell.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Castilleja unalaschcensis"
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.15 cm11.5 mm <br />0.0115 m <br />) +
acute +  and obtuse or rounded +
J. Mark Egger +, Peter F. Zika +, Barbara L. Wilson +, Richard E. Brainerd +  and Nick Otting +
(Chamisso & Schlechtendal) Malte +
Castilleja pallida var. unalaschcensis +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
not +, leathery +  and fleshy +
pink;reddish;aging;pale orange;yellow-green;pale orange;yellow-green;whitish;pale-yellow;yellow;green +
(0-)3-5-lobed +, oblong +  and narrowly obovate +
2-lobed +, lobed +  and tubular +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2.8 cm28 mm <br />0.028 m <br />) +
taprooted;fibrous-rooted or rhizomatous +
fleshy +  and woody +
lateral +  and deeper +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Coastal paintbrush +
purple +, pink +, red +, orange +, yellow +, white +, green +  and pale greenish +
curved +  and straight +
divided +  and tubular +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (2.8 cm28 mm <br />0.028 m <br />) +
B.C. +, Yukon +, Alaska +  and Asia (Russian Far East) +
0–2100 m. +
spreading-hairy +  and glabrous +
2 +  and 1 +
indehiscent +, septicidal +, loculicidal +  and dehiscence +
Meadows, dunes, thickets, upper margins of tidal flats, river flats, gravel bars, tundra, open forests, roadsides, coastal to alpine. +
spreading +  and erect +
stipitate-glandular +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br />) +
axillary +  and terminal +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (6.5 cm65 mm <br />0.065 m <br />) +
spiral +, whorled +, alternate +  and opposite +
1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
red-purplish +  and green +
deciduous +
basal +  and cauline +
lanceolate-linear;lanceolate elliptic-ovate or ovate +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
not fleshy +
3 (?) +, 2 (?) +  and 4 (?) +
oblong +  and lanceolate +
subequal +
0(-3)-lobed +, flat +  and slightly involute +
tenuinucellate +  and unitegmic +
campylotropous-like +
Flowering May–Sep. +
stramineous +
20 +  and 100 +
trapezoidal +, oblong-ovoid +, pyramidal +  and ovoid +
non-secund +  and secund +
elongate +
subequal +
branched +  and unbranched +
sprawling +  and prostrate +
aerial +  and subterranean +
erect +  and ascending +
hairy +  and glabrate +
not fleshy +
2-lobed +  and entire +
Euchroma +  and Oncorhynchus +
Castilleja unalaschcensis +
Castilleja +
species +
white +, green +  and deep +
shallow;deep +
reduced +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br /> (1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br />) +