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

Castilleja tenuis (A. Heller) T.I. Chuang & Heckard
hairy paintbrush (hairy paintbrush)
Orobanchaceae (Broom-rape family)
(Previously in Scrophulariaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Curtis Bjork  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #15888)

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

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General:
Annual herb; stems erect, 10-40 cm tall, slender, simple or with a few erect branches; coarsely spreading-hairy, often glandular above.
Leaves:
Alternate, unstalked, 1-4 cm long, coarsely spreading-hairy, the lower leaves linear and entire, the upper ones lanceolate, with 3 to 5 long slender lobes.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a dense, compact, prominently bracted, terminal spike 5-20 cm long, the bracts egg-shaped, 10-25 mm long, differing gradually from the leaves, becoming shorter and more deeply cleft into 3 to 7 lanceolate, long-pointy-tipped lobes, green throughout or sometimes tinged with purple; corollas white or yellow, minutely hairy, 12-20 mm long, exserted, tubular, 2-lipped, the upper lip beak-like, straight, 4-5 mm long, the lower lip 3-4 mm long, inflated, 3-pouched, tipped with 3 tiny teeth 0.2-0.8 mm long; calyces tubular, 8-12 mm long, hairy, 2-cleft, each segment 2-toothed, the teeth slender, long-pointy-tipped; stamens 4.
Fruits:
Capsules, oblong, 5-9 mm long; seeds several, about 1 mm long, with loose netted coats.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist meadows and vernal pools in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; rare in SC BC; S to ID, NV and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Castilleja tenuis

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) 916 945 1021
Slope Gradient (%) 0 0 5
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]
225 225 225
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
6 6 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:
6
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: IDF(6)

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 hispidus Benth.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References