[Owl-clovers: The Genus Orthocarpus East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington] - [Paintbrushes: The Genus Castilleja East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Annual White Paintbrush, Hairy Indian Paintbrush, Hairy Owl-clover, Thin Paintbrush

Castilleja tenuis

Synonyms: Orthocarpus hispidus, Orthocarpus rarior, Orthocarpus tenuis, Triphysaria hispida

The photo above shows a close-up view of the corolla of hairy paintbrush as seen in lithosol soils along the old highway to the west of Fishtrap Lake in eastern Washington..........June 2, 2008.

Characteristics:

Hairy owl-clover is a small annual wildflower with simple to branched stems, the branches held erect. It ranges from 10-40 cm high. The herbage is fairly densely covered with long, soft and shaggy hairs. The stem leaves are narrowly linear-lanceolate with entire margins on the lower leaves, the upper leaves with 1-2 pairs of narrow lobes. The leaves are 2.5-6 cm long.

The inflorescence is long and loose below. The bracts are wide at the base and deeply cleft with 1-3 pairs of long, narrowly linear lobes. The calyx is 8-13 mm long and about equally cleft in front and on the back. The corolla is 1.2-2 cm long,, narrow at the base and gradually expanding to the fairly narrow throat. The upper lip consists of a slender straight and pointed galea from 3-4 mm long. The lower lip consists of 3 sacs which are shorter than the galea. The corolla varies from white to creamy or yellow.

Habitat:

Hairy owl-clover is found in moist meadows and in the beds of vernal pools from the lowlands to moderate elevations in the mountains.

Range:

Hairy owl-clover is found from southern British Columbia south on both sides of the Cascades to southern California and east to Idaho and Nevada.

The photo at left shows another close-up view of the corolla of hairy paintbrush as seen in lithosol soils along the old highway to the west of Fishtrap Lake in eastern Washington..........June 2, 2008. The photo at right shows hairy paintbrush as seen in the Bickleton Ridge Unit of the Klickitat Wildlife Area.........May 28, 2017.

Hairy paintbrush as seen in open coniferous forest along cross country ski trails originating from the Bandit Springs Sno-park near the Ochoco Divide, Ochoto National Forest........June 23, 2017.

The photo above shows hairy owl-clover as seen along an access road to the North Fork Malheur C.G., about one mile east of forest Rd 13, Malheur N.F.........July 6, 2002.

Paul Slichter