Castilleja minor var. spiralis
Phytologia 90: 74. 2008.
Herbs 5–7 dm. Stems: hairs dense, short, soft, mixed with shorter stipitate-glandular ones. Leaves linear or narrowly lanceolate, soft, margins plane or wavy. Bracts distally red, proximal narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate, distal oblong to narrowly spatulate, apex rounded or obtuse, rarely acute. Calyces 15–27 mm; abaxial and adaxial clefts 7–9 mm, 35–50% of calyx length, lateral 0.5–2.5 mm, 5–25% of calyx length; lobes linear to narrowly lanceolate, apex acute to acuminate. Corollas 20–35 mm; beak and often abaxial lip exserted; beak adaxially yellowish or reddish brown, 8–15 mm; abaxial lip red.
Phenology: Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Stream banks, damp flats and seeps, over serpentine.
Elevation: 0–3000 m.
Discussion
Variety spiralis is limited to a few highly serpentine sites in central California. Its range slightly overlaps var. stenantha, but within populations there is little or no intergradation in the distinguishing characters. Variety spiralis is separable from the other varieties of Castilleja minor by a combination of obtuse to rounded bract apices, bright red, somewhat up-curved abaxial corolla lips, and relatively long corolla beaks.
Selected References
None.