Castilleja gracillima
Rydb.
Slender Indian-paintbrush
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.134659
Element CodePDSCR0D150
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusProvisional
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderScrophulariales
FamilyOrobanchaceae
GenusCastilleja
Other Common NamesCastilléjie grêle (FR)
Concept ReferenceHitchcock, C.L., and A. Cronquist. 1974. Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An illustrated manual. 2nd printing, with corrections. Univ. Washington Press, Seattle. xix + 730 pp.
Taxonomic CommentsCastilleja gracillima is lumped into C. miniata ssp. miniata by Kartesz (1999), but treated as distinct in FNA (vol. 17 in prep.).
Conservation Status
Review Date1999-12-28
Change Date1989-03-16
Edition Date1999-12-28
Edition AuthorsHeidel, B., 12/99; rev. B. MacBryde, 10/2000.
Range Extent250-2,500,000 square km (about 100-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 20
Rank ReasonsCastilleja gracillima, if considered distinct from C. miniata ssp. miniata, is an endemic of limited geographical distribution in British Columbia, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, occurring in wet areas.
Range Extent CommentsNw. Wyoming and adjacent Montana to central Idaho; most British Columbia occurrences are in the Kootenai River Valley contiguous with n. Idaho and nw. Montana, yet the species is not present in these sectors of the adjoining states, a peculiarly disjunct distribution that might call for closer taxonomic review.
Occurrences CommentsThere are 12 known possible occurrences in Montana, but 2 are dubious and 2 historic; the numbers of EOs in Idaho, Wyoming, and British Columbia are unknown.
Threat Impact CommentsThe species is potentially threatened by livestock grazing, water development, and weed invasions at some sites.
Ecology & Habitat
Description
Slender Indian Paintbrush is a perennial with slender, erect or ascending, usually unbranched stems, 20-50 cm tall, that often root at the base. The entire-margined leaves are narrowly lance-shaped, and the foliage is glabrous or covered with long, soft hairs. The inflorescence is generally yellow, but may be orange or even red. The oblong flower bracts are entire-margined or may have a single pair of small lobes near the top. The calyx is 15-22 mm long and deeply divided into two lobes at the top that are each divided again into two smaller, pointed lobes. The petals of the flower are united into a tube below that forms a large, galea and three small lobes or teeth opposite it. The entire corolla is 20-30 mm long; the galea is densely hairy and less than half as long as the tube, while the lip is green and ca. 1/5 the length of the galea.
Diagnostic Characteristics
CASTILLEJA is a very difficult group to distinguish in our area, and a technical key should be consulted for positive identification. Unlike other species of CASTILLEJA, stems of C. GRACILLIMA often arise singly. The combination of the creeping habit, yellow inflorescence, entire leaves, and galea that is more than 1/2 the length of the corolla tube will usually distinguish this species.
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNR
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|
| Montana | S2 | Yes |
| Idaho | SNR | Yes |
| Wyoming | SNR | Yes |
References (11)
- Davis, R.J. 1952. Flora of Idaho. Brigham Young Univ. Press, Provo, UT. 836 pp.
- Dorn, R.D. 1977. Manual of the vascular plants of Wyoming. 2 vols. Garland Publishing, Incorporated, New York. 1498 pp.
- Dorn, R.D. 1984. Vascular plants of Montana. Mountain West Publishing, Cheyenne, Wyoming. 276 pp.
- Dorn, R.D. 1992. Vascular plants of Wyoming, 2nd edition. Mountain West Publishing, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
- Douglas, G.W., G.B. Straley and D. Meidinger. 1991. The vascular plants of British Columbia. Part 3 - Dicotyledons (Primulaceae through Zygophyllaceae) and Pteridophytes. Forest Science Reserach Branch, Ministry of Forests. Victoria, B.C. 177
- Giblin, D.E., B.S. Legler, P.F. Zika, and R.G. Olmstead, eds. 2018. Flora of the Pacific Northwest, an illustrated manual, second edition, C. Leo Hitchcock and Arthur Cronquist. University of Washington Press, Seattle. 882 pp.
- Hitchcock, C.L., and A. Cronquist. 1974. Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An illustrated manual. 2nd printing, with corrections. Univ. Washington Press, Seattle. xix + 730 pp.
- Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
- Mathews, S.Y. 1989. Sensitive plant surveys, 1989: U.S. Forest Service, Region 1, Gallatin National Forest, Montana. Unpublished report to the USDA Forest Service, Gallatin National Forest, Bozeman, Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 85 pp.
- NatureServe. Unpublished. Concept reference for taxa for which no reference which describes the circumscription has been recorded; to be used as a placeholder until such a citation is identified.
- Vanderhorst, J. and B. L. Heidel. 1995. Sensitive plant survey in the Tobacco Root Mountains, Madison County, Montana. Unpublished report to the Beaverhead and Deerlodge National Forests. Montana Natural Heritage Program. Helena, MT. 66 pp. plus appendices.