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

Castilleja hispida Benth. var. hispida
harsh paintbrush
Orobanchaceae (Broom-rape family)
(Previously in Scrophulariaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Gary Ansell  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #24863)

E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Castilleja hispida var. hispida
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from a stout, somewhat woody stem-base; stems several, clustered, ascending to erect, 20-60 cm tall, usually unbranched, finely long-soft-hairy to sometimes bristly-hairy, especially above.
Leaves:
Alternate, lanceolate to narrowly egg-shaped, finely soft-hairy to sometimes sticky-long-hairy, the lower leaves entire and reduced, the upper ones usually with 1 to 2 pairs of narrow lobes above the middle.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a prominently bracted terminal spike, at first compact, later elongating in fruit, the bracts bright red to scarlet, occasionally yellowish, oblong-egg-shaped, deeply 3- to 5-lobed above the middle, minutely hairy and also long-soft-hairy; corollas greenish, 20-40 mm long, 2-lipped, the upper lip beak-like, short-hairy, about as long as the tube and 5 or more times the length of the thickened, 3-toothed lower lip; calyces hairy, 15-30 mm long, deeply 2-lobed, these primary lobes again divided into 2 rounded, 1- to 7-mm long segments; stamens 4.
Fruits:
Capsules; seeds many, the seed-coats loose, net-veined.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Mesic meadows and open forests in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; frequent in S BC; E to SW AB and S to NW MT, ID and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Castilleja hispida var. hispida

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) 1680 1680 1680
Slope Gradient (%) 60 60 60
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
142 141 142
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
0 0 0
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
B
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
1
Modal BEC Zone Class
ESSF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: ESSF(1)

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.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References