Castilleja densiflora
A North American hemiparasitic annual herb in the Orobanchaceae, native to California and Baja California, Mexico, with pink-and-white bilaterally symmetric flowers that reach 10–40 cm tall in grasslands and open habitats, and that serves as a larval host for several butterfly species.
Common Names
Denseflower Indian Paintbrush, Owl's Clover
Summary
Denseflower Indian Paintbrush is an annual herb in the Orobanchaceae native to California and northwestern Mexico. It grows 10–40 cm tall with an inflorescence 3–25 cm long and has linear to lance-shaped leaves up to 8 cm, sometimes lobed; it is hemiparasitic on the roots of grasses and forbs, and features bracts white to dull or bright pink or purple with flowers between them colored white to yellow to pink or purple; subspecies gracilis and obispoensis are recognized.
It occurs in grasslands and chaparral and is used by Native peoples for food from seeds and in ceremonial wreaths; flowers attract bees, including Vosnesensky Bumble Bee and California Bumble Bee; it has ecological significance in habitat restoration, contributing to Bay Checkerspot re-establishment at Edgewood.
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
4-16 inches
Spread
1-1.5 inches
Soil Type
Serpentine and non-serpentine soils (grasslands)
Bloom Color
Pink, White, Purple, Yellow
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Green
Growth Rate
Annual
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees and butterflies
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Benth.) T.I.Chuang & Heckard
- Publication
- Syst. Bot. 16: 656 (1991)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Lamiales
- Family
- Orobanchaceae
- Genus
- Castilleja
Inferior Taxa
Castilleja densiflora var. densiflora Castilleja densiflora var. gracilis Castilleja densiflora var. obispoensis
Synonyms
Orthocarpus densiflorus Orthocarpus densiflorus var. typicus