Orobanche californica subsp. grayana
Madroño 22: 54. 1973.
Plants usually branched proximally, 4–10 cm, portion proximal to inflorescence 1–3(–4) cm, slender. Inflorescences corymbs, sometimes subcorymbose racemes, 3–6 cm; bracts pallid to pinkish tinged, drying brown. Pedicels 5–20 mm. Calyces 11–15 mm, lobes pallid, sometimes purplish, linear-subulate, (7–)9–13(–16) mm. Corollas pallid to pinkish or pale lavender, often with lavender veins, (25–)28–33 mm; tube slender, abruptly widening toward throat; throat 8–10 mm wide at base of lobes; lips 10–12 mm, abaxial lobes lanceolate to lanceolate-subulate, 2–3 mm wide, apex acute, adaxial lobes oblong-ovate, apex narrowly rounded, shallowly retuse, or erosulate. 2n = 48.
Phenology: Flowering (Jun–)Aug–Sep.
Habitat: Moist meadows and stream margins.
Elevation: (50–)300–2100 m.
Distribution
Calif., Oreg., Wash.
Discussion
Subspecies grayana is distributed in the Cascade-Sierra Nevada ranges, Coast Ranges (central California and southern Oregon), and mountains of the Columbia Plateau in Oregon, from Klickitat County, Washington, south to Tuolumne County, California. It is rare throughout the range, possibly locally extirpated in portions of the range in Oregon.
The hosts are primarily species of Aster and Erigeron and occasionally Grindelia. Other reported non-Asteraceae hosts are unlikely.
Selected References
None.