Castilleja chrymactis

Herbs, perennial, 2.8–6.6 dm; from a woody caudex; with a taproot. Stems several to many, erect to ascending, unbranched or branched, sometimes with short, leafy axillary shoots, glabrous or hairs sparse proximally, distally spreading-erect, long, soft, eglandular, mixed with shorter ones. Leaves green or purple-tinged, sometimes deep purple, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate or ovate, (1.5–)5–11.7 cm, not fleshy, margins plane, sometimes ± wavy, flat or involute, 0–3(–5)-lobed, apex acute to obtuse, sometimes rounded; lobes erect or ascending, linear, apex acute or acuminate. Inflorescences 3.5–18 × 3–7.5 cm; bracts proximally pale green to dull purplish, distally bright red or scarlet to yellow, orange, yellow-orange, and salmon, sometimes tricolored with central band of deeper purple or deeper shade of the far-distal color, broadly lanceolate, oblong, elliptic, or oblong, 0–3(–9)-lobed; lobes ascending, lanceolate, triangular, or oblong, short, arising at or above mid length, central lobe apex rounded, lateral ones acute to obtuse. Calyces colored as bracts, sometimes more deeply pigmented and contrasting with bract coloration, 24–31 mm; abaxial and adaxial clefts 12–19 mm, 45–65% of calyx length, deeper than laterals, lateral 7–11 mm, 25–32% of calyx length; lobes lanceolate, narrowly triangular, or almost oblong, apex acute, sometimes obtuse or acuminate. Corollas straight to slightly curved, 26–43 mm; tube 16–24 mm; beak exserted, adaxially green to yellow, 9–19 mm; abaxial lip whitish or dark green, reduced, not exserted, sometimes visible through front calyx cleft, 1.5–2 mm, 20% as long as beak, glabrous or sparsely hairy, hairs spreading; teeth reduced, incurved, deep green, 0.5–1 mm.

Phenology: Flowering (Jan–)Feb–Sep(–Oct).
Habitat: Glacial outwash plains, river flats, moist or wet openings, beach meadows, roadsides.
Elevation: 0–20 m.

Alaska.

Discussion

Castilleja chrymactis is restricted to the coast of southeastern Alaska, from Glacier Bay to Yakutat. In some respects, it resembles a hybrid swarm between C. miniata and C. unalaschcensis. If C. chrymactis originated as a hybrid, at present it has formed a number of populations and has a stable morphology that differs from both putative parents, especially in calyx structure. Reports of its introduction to Point Reyes, California (T. I. Chuang and L. R. Heckard 1993b), are based on C. leschkeana, a distinctive species known only from two records near the type locality and presumed to be extinct.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa