General:
Perennial herb from a somewhat woody stem-base; stems several, clustered, erect or ascending, 7-16 cm tall, unbranched, sparsely to densely coarse-hairy to long-soft-hairy, especially in the inflorescence.
Leaves:
Alternate, lance-linear, long-tapering to the sharp-pointed tips, 1.5-4 cm long, with 1 or 2 pairs of slender spreading lobes, or the lowermost entire.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a prominently bracted terminal spike, compact at first, elongating to 1/4-1/2 the plant height, the bracts yellow to yellowish-green, lanceolate to lance-oblong, usually lobed, long-soft-hairy; corollas greenish, 10-22 mm long, 2-lipped, the upper lip beak-like, 5-8 mm long, the lower lip 3-5 mm long, with 3 yellowish lobes; calyces yellowish, 10-20 mm long, 2-lobed, these primary lobes rounded, again divided into 2 segments 0.5-1.5 mm long; stamens 4.
Fruits:
Capsules, 9-13 mm long; seeds many, the seed-coats loose, net-veined.
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Castilleja villosissima Pennell