Castilleja grisea
California-native, endemic to San Clemente Island, a hemiparasitic perennial herb in the Orobanchaceae with gray-hairy stems and dull yellow pouched flowers, recovering under Navy-led management after historic goat grazing and habitat degradation
Common Names
San Clemente Island Indian Paintbrush, San Clemente Island Paintbrush
Summary
Endemic to San Clemente Island, California, this perennial herb is densely coated in long gray hairs and grows to about 40–60 cm tall, with linear leaves and an inflorescence bearing 1–2 cm long bracts that are gray-green at the bases and tipped with greenish yellow, and dull yellow pouched flowers; it is hemiparasitic, with roots tapping surrounding plants.
Conservation and management are carried out under Navy-led recovery efforts in coastal sage scrub habitat, addressing threats from erosion, invasive grasses, and wildfire from military activities, as well as grazing and trampling by feral goats; populations have increased at least tenfold following removal of non-native herbivores, with counts ranging from about 450 plants in 1979 to over 10,000 by 2007.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
1-2 feet
Soil Type
Rocky or sandy soil
Bloom Color
Yellow
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
gray-green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Growth Rate
Dramatic growth; at least a tenfold increase since removal of feral goats, with additional increase since 1997.
Seasons of Interest
Winter, Spring, Summer
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts hummingbirds and other pollinators
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Dunkle
- Publication
- Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 42: 31 (1943)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Lamiales
- Family
- Orobanchaceae
- Genus
- Castilleja