[Paintbrushes: The Genus Castilleja East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington]

Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush

Castilleja oresbia

Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia

Pale paintbrush blooming in scablands adjacent to wetlands along Forest Road 30 near the old Cold Springs Guard Statiion, southeastern corner of Big Summit Prairie, Ochoco National Forest.......June 3, 2018.

Characteristics:

Pale Wallowa paintbrush is an attractive perennial wildflower with clusters of unbranched stems rising 10-30 cm high. The herbage is densely covered with fine, curled or crinkled hairs. The leaves are ascending, 2-3.5 cm long the lower linear with entire margins, the upper leaves with 1-2 pairs of thin, spreading lobes.

The dull yellowish or purplish bracts are much shorter and wider than the leaves with 1-2 pairs of lateral lobes. The calyx is 10-12 mm long, cleft medially about equally on the upper and lower surfaces. The lateral calyx segments are again divided into 2 linear segments from 2-5 mm long. The corolla is 15-16 mm long, the galea narrow and less than half as long as the tube. The prominent, pouched lower lip is 2/3 to as long as the galea.

Habitat:

Pale Wallowa paintbrush is often found with sagebrush on dry hillsides and in the plains.

Range:

Pale Wallowa paintbrush may be found in the Blue and Wallowa Mts. of northeastern Oregon and in the mountains of western Idaho.

Calyx clefts of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia - Bract of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia

Dorsal view of the calyx and corolla tubes of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia - Inflorescence of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia - Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia

Pale paintbrush as seen atop Lookout Mountain, Ochoco National Forest..........May 29, 2016. The calyx clefts are deeper medially than laterally (note the yellow dots indicating the different depths of those calyx clefts in the photo at upper left. The photo at upper right shows a close-up view of an inflorescence bract. The photo at lower left is viewed down onto the top of the calyx tube with the green galea between the two long, calyx lobes.

Bract, calyx and corolla tube of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia - Inflorescence of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia

Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia - Corolla tube of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia

Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia - Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia

Pale paintbrush as seen atop Lookout Mountain, Ochoco National Forest..........June 15, 2015. The calyx clefts are deeper medially than laterally.

Underside of the calyx and corolla of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia

Close-up of the calyx and corolla tubes of pale paintbrush. Photographed just west of Big Creek Campground in Logan Valley, Malheur National Forest.........July 1, 2010.

Floral parts of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia

Close-up of the calyx of pale paintbrush as seen just west of Big Creek Campground in Logan Valley, Malheur National Forest..............July 1, 2010. Note that the calyx tube is cleft more deeply medianly (the upper and lower clefts) rather than laterally.

Floral bracts of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia just west of Big Creek Campground in Logan Valley, Malheur National Forest..............July 1, 2010. - Floral bracts and leaves of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia...........July 1, 2010.

Close-ups of the floral bracts and a leaf of pale paintbrush as seen just west of Big Creek Campground in Logan Valley, Malheur National Forest..........July 1, 2010.

Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia - Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia with Big Mountain Sagebrush: Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana.

Pale paintbrush as seen in grasslands and amongst big mountain sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana) along FS Road #1647 in southeastern Logan Valley, Malheur National Forest............May 30, 2014.

Upper stem leaf of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia - Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia

What appears to be pale paintbrush as seen in scablands along FS Road 4230-050 to the south of Long Prairie, Ochoco National Forest........April 30, 2016.

Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia - Calyx of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia

Corolla of Pale Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Indian Paintbrush, Pale Wallowa Paintbrush: Castilleja oresbia

Pale paintbrush as seen in scablands between Forest Road 4040 and the North Fork Crooked River Wild and Scenic River.........May 11, 2017.
Paul Slichter