E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Castilleja attenuata (A. Gray) T.I. Chuang & Heckard
narrow-leaved paintbrush (narrow-leaved paintbrush)
Orobanchaceae (Broom-rape family)
(Previously in Scrophulariaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #16342)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Castilleja attenuata
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Species Information

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General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems erect, 10-35 cm tall, slender, usually unbranched, spreading-hairy.
Leaves:
Alternate, unstalked, linear-lanceolate, long-tapering to a sharp tip, 2-6 cm long, entire or the upper often with a pair of narrow lateral lobes, spreading-hairy.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an elongate, narrow, prominently bracted, terminal spike 3-20 cm long, dense to rather open below, the bracts 15-20 mm long, differing gradually from the leaves, becoming shorter and more deeply cleft into 3 lanceolate lobes, green with white or yellowish tips; corollas white with purple spots on lower lip, minutely hairy, 10-25 mm long, linear-tubular, 2-lipped, the upper lip beak-like, straight, 4-5 mm long, the lower lip 3-4 mm long, scarcely expanded, narrowly 3-pouched, tipped with 3 erect, slender teeth 1-1.5 mm long; calyces tubular, 10-20 mm long, very hairy, 2-cleft, each segment 2-lobed, the lobes shorter than the tube, white-tipped; stamens 4.
Fruits:
Capsules, ellipsoid, 7-11 mm long; seeds several, less than 1 mm long, with loose netted coats.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Mesic meadows, grassy slopes and fields in the lowland zone; locally frequent on S Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands; S to AZ and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Castilleja attenuata

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum

Elevation (metres) 213 236 259
Slope Gradient (%) 20 41 90
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
120 176 210
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
1 1 2
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
11
Modal BEC Zone Class
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Orthocarpus attenuatus A. Gray

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References