Castilleja occidentalis
| Castilleja occidentalis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Orobanchaceae |
| Genus: | Castilleja |
| Species: | C. occidentalis
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| Binomial name | |
| Castilleja occidentalis | |
Castilleja occidentalis is a member of the genus Castilleja (paintbrush), commonly referred to as western paintbrush. Like other members, it is a hemi-parasite.
Taxonomy
Castilleja occidentalis was named and scientifically described by John Torrey in 1827. He classified the species in the genus Castilleja within the family Orobanchaceae. It has no synonyms.[2]
Names
The species was named Castilleja occidentalis, Botanical Latin for "western", because Torrey was under the impression that it has a wide western range.[3] It is similarly known by the common names western paintbrush and western yellow paintbrush.[3][4] It is also called alpine paintbrush, but it shares this name with Castilleja puberula.[4] Other common names include yellow paintbrush and lemon paintbrush,[5] but Castilleja septentrionalis is also known as yellow paintbrush.[6]
Distribution
This species has a wide distribution, from the Rocky Mountains north to BC, Alberta and Montana (Glacier National Park) and south to Utah and New Mexico (but not known in Wyoming or Idaho).[7]
Habitat
The western paintbrush occurs in areas above and below the treeline.[7] It is found in dry places, favoring rocky soils and talus slopes. It has thin, lanceolate leaves (with occasionally lobed upper leaves) borne on woody stems. The bracts are pale yellow to nearly white. Along with the plants' habitat, this coloration aids identification.[8]
However, this paintbrush often occurs in fragile wet meadows, where it is vulnerable to trampling. Further, coloration can vary to red and purple with all colors between.[7]
Associated plants
The western paintbrush is often associated with tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia caespitosa), golden avens (Geum rossii), and Bellard kobresia (Kobresia myosuroides)
References
Citations
- ^ NatureServe 2025.
- ^ POWO 2025.
- ^ a b Heil et al. 2013, p. 693.
- ^ a b Duft & Moseley 1989, p. 146.
- ^ Guennel 1995, p. 208.
- ^ Guennel 1995, p. 209.
- ^ a b c Williams 1990.
- ^ "Scroph1". Larkspurbooks.com. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
Sources
- Books
- Duft, Joseph F.; Moseley, Robert K. (1989). Alpine Wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press. ISBN 978-0-87842-238-8. OCLC 19325552. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- Guennel, G. K. (1995). Guide to Colorado Wildflowers. Vol. 2 Mountains. Englewood, Colorado: Westcliffe. ISBN 978-1-56579-118-3. OCLC 34112646. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- Heil, Kenneth D.; O'Kane, Steve L. Jr.; Reeves, Linda Mary; Clifford, Arnold (2013). Flora of the Four Corners Region: Vascular Plants of the San Juan River Drainage, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah (First ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Missouri Botanical Garden. ISBN 978-1-930723-84-9. ISSN 0161-1542. LCCN 2012949654. OCLC 859541992. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- Web sources
- POWO (2025). "Castilleja occidentalis Torr". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- NatureServe (1 November 2025). "Castilleja occidentalis". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- Williams, Tara Y. (1990). "Castilleja occidentalis". Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2018.