Castilleja exserta

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Lamiales

Familia: Orobanchaceae
Tribus: Pedicularideae
Genus: Castilleja
Species: Castilleja exserta
Varieties: C. e. var. latifolia – C. e. var. venusta
Name

Castilleja exserta (A.Heller) T.I.Chuang & Heckard
Synonyms

Castilleja exserta subsp. exserta
Orthocarpus exsertus A. Heller
Orthocarpus purpurascens Benth.
Orthocarpus purpurascens var. pallidus D.D. Keck
Orthocarpus purpurascens var. palmeri A. Gray

Distribution

This species is native to the Southwestern United States in various habitats of California, Arizona, and New Mexico; and to Northwestern Mexico.
References

Systematic Botany; Quarterly Journal of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists 16:657. 1991

Links

International Plant Names Index. 2017. Castilleja exserta. Published online. Accessed: Oct. 04 2017.
The Plant List 2013. Castilleja exserta in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2017 Oct. 04.
Tropicos.org 2017. Castilleja exserta. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: O4 Oct. 2017.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Castilleja exserta in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 09-Oct-10.

Vernacular names
English: Purple owl's clover, purple Indian paintbrush, exserted Indian paintbrush

Castilleja exserta (formerly Orthocarpus purpurascens) 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.[1]

This species is native to the Southwestern United States in various habitats of California, Arizona, and New Mexico; and to Northwestern Mexico.[2] It is an introduced species in Hawaii.

Description
Foliage and stem, before flowering.

Castilleja exserta is an annual herb about 100–450 millimetres (4–18 in) tall with a hairy stem covered in thready leaves. Like other related Castilleja plants, this species is a hemiparasite, deriving some of its nutrients directly from the roots of other plants by infiltrating them with haustoria. As a result, its own leaves are small and reduced.

Although this species is variable in appearance and easily hybridizes with other Castilleja species, it generally bears a brightly colored inflorescence of shaggy pink-purple or lavender flowers. The thin, erect bracts are usually tipped with the same color, giving the inflorescence the appearance of a paintbrush.[3]
Varieties

Varieties include:

Castilleja exserta var. exserta — pale purple owlclover.[4][5]
Castilleja exserta var. latifolia — wideleaf Indian paintbrush; endemic to coastal California.[5][6][7]
Castilleja exserta var. venusta — endemic to California: Mojave Desert, southern San Joaquin Valley.[5][8][9][10]

Bay checkerspot butterfly host

This is a crucial host plant for the Bay checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha bayensis), which is a threatened species that is endemic to the San Francisco Bay region in California.

The seeds were harvested by indigenous peoples of California for food.[11]

Castilleja exserta.jpg

2015

Antelope Valley Purple owl's clover

References

CalFlora database: Castilleja exserta . accessed 3.23.2013
Sullivan, Steven. K. (2018). "Castilleja exserta". Wildflower Search. Retrieved 2018-07-06.
"Castilleja exserta". in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora. Jepson Herbarium; University of California, Berkeley. 2018. Retrieved 2018-07-06.
CalFlora: Castilleja exserta ssp. exserta
"Castilleja exserta (A.Heller) T.I.Chuang & Heckard | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
CalFlora: Castilleja exserta ssp. latifolia