Castilleja viscidula A.Gray
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Authority
Holmgren, Noel H. 1971. A taxonomic revision of the Castilleja viscidula group. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 21: 1-63.
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Family
Scrophulariaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Perennial herb from a woody caudex, its stems several, clustered, ascending to erect, decumbent in some populations, relatively short, 0.8-2 (-3) dm long, mostly unbranched, glandular pubescent with short gland-tipped hairs and viscidhirsute to viscid-villose with longer non-glandular hairs. Leaves short, 1.3-2.5 (-3) cm long, glandular pubescent to glandular-villose, the pubescence composed almost entirely of gland-tipped hairs, sometimes a fewer longer non-glandular hairs at the base and up the ribs and margins, the lower leaves linear-lanceolate to hnear, attenuate, entire, the upper ones linear-lanceolate, wavy-margined, usually with a pair of slender lateral lobes, rarely all entire or 3-parted. Inflorescence short and dense above, becoming somewhat elongate below, usually inconspicuously colored. Bracts shorter and broader than the upper leaves and about the same length as the flowers, usually with 1, rarely 2, pairs of lateral lobes, the upper bracts distally yellow-green, pink, red-orange or sometimes red, uniformly covered with a dense glandular-pubescence, often villose with non-glandular hairs at the base. Calyx relatively short, (11-) 14-18 (-22) mm long, the abaxial cleft (4-) 5-8 (-10) mm deep, the deeper adaxial cleft (5-) 6-8 (-10) mm deep, these clefts separating 2 primary lobes for % to % the calyx length, each lobe divided 1/4 to 3/4 its length into 2 relatively short, ovate to lanceolate, acute to obtuse segments, 2-5 (-6) mm long, bearing the same colors as the bract tips and glandular-puberulent, the tube yellowish-green and glandular-pubescent with longer viscid hairs at the base and up the ribs. Corolla exceptionally short, (16-) 17-22(-24) mm long; galea very short, 1/4 to 3/7 the corolla length, 5-8(-9) mm long, dorsally green, puberulent, sometimes with gland-tipped hairs, becoming papillate or glabrous distally, its lateral margins narrow, pale yellow to reddish, often the same color as the calyx segments and bract tips; lower lip pale green to dark green, the teeth very short; tube short, 10-15(-16) mm long, villosulose to nearly glabrous, more hairy adaxially at the base of the pouch than abaxially. Stamens barely exserted beyond the tip of the galea, if at all, the upper anthers 1.7-2.2 mm long. Stigma exserted beyond the tip of the galea, bifid to capitate, relatively large, 0.4-0.8 (-1) mm thick, usually dark and prominent. Capsules relatively short, 7-11 mm long, ovoid, acuminate. Chromosome number: 2n = 24.
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Discussion
Castilleja magnistylis Kdwin, Leaf]. W. Bot. 9: 47. 1959. Nevada. Elko Co., Ruby Range, infrequent in rocky places at head of Thomas Canvon, 9500 ft elev, 1 Aug 1947 A. H. Holmgren 7065 (UTC 93293, isotype NY).
Type. Nevada, Elko County, "East Humboldt Mountains'' (Ruby Mountains), alt 9000 ft, July 1865, Watson 810 (GH, isotype NY). Watson's number 810 was used for what he considered to be Castilleja parviflora Bong, in his report of the King Expedition (Watson, 1871).
Type. Nevada, Elko County, "East Humboldt Mountains'' (Ruby Mountains), alt 9000 ft, July 1865, Watson 810 (GH, isotype NY). Watson's number 810 was used for what he considered to be Castilleja parviflora Bong, in his report of the King Expedition (Watson, 1871).
Although Castilleja viscidula is an extremely complex taxon, it remains distinct from the other species. Its complexity is entirely within itself and perhaps with a more thorough field study one m a y be able to distinguish infraspecific taxa. At present, however, there is not enough herbarium material available from which to draw satisfactory conclusions. The differences appear as slightly displaced means based on too few specimens to be statistically significant. Since the populations are geographically isolated from each other in their restricted high mountain habitats, it may be worthwhile to mention these differences. They are as follows: (1) the Wallowa Mountains race tends to have longer galeas, 7-9 mm long as compared to 5-8 mm in the others, and occasionally has scarlet bracts; (2) the Owyhee Mountains race has finer pubescence and the calyx segments are longer, 3-6 mm as compared to 2-4(-6) mm in the others; (3) the Jarbidge- Santa Rosa Mountain race has longer, more erect stems; and [4) the East Humboldt-Ruby Mountains race has a slightly longer calyx with deeper median clefts, [the clefts are 6-9(-12) mm deep rather than (4-)5-8(-10) mm for the others], and it also has shorter and rather blunt calyx segments, 2-4(-6) mm long and rounded, rathei- than (2-) 3-6 mm long and acutish as in the others. The closest relative to Castilleja viscidula is C. glandulifera Pennell, with which it has been confused in the Wallowa Mountains and the Owyhee Mountains. Castilleja glandulifera is confined to the upper elevations of the southern Blue Mountains (sensu lato), and is separated from the Wallowa Mountains populations of C. viscidula by the low A'alley of the Grand Ronde and Powder river.
There is evidence of hybridization with C. lapidicola Heller in the Ruby Mountains. Collections from the upper Lamoille Canyon region show all forms of introgression between the two species. Edwin's C. magnistylis, an introgressant more nearly approaching true C. viscidula, was based on a collection from this area. The collection, Holmgren & Reveal 1678, from the ridge west of Lamoille Lake represents a sampling of this population. The locality of this collection is very near the type localities of Edwin's C. magnistylis and Heller's (1912) C. lapidicola.
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Distribution
Habitat and distribution. Collected in flower from early July to mid August, at elevations as low as 6500 feet in the Wallowa Mountains and up to 10,500 feet in the Ruby Mountains, on dry rocky, open or sparsely wooded slopes, often on talus. Northeast Oregon (Wallowa Mountains), southwest Idaho (Silver City Range), and northern Nevada (Santa Rosa, Jarbidge, East Humboldt, Ruby, White Pine and Kawich mountains) (Fig. 5).
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