[Paintbrushes: The Genus Castilleja in the Cascade Mts. of Oregon and Washington]
Bog Paintbrush, Suksdorf's Paintbrush, Suksdorf's Indian Paintbrush
Castilleja suksdorfii
Suksdorf's paintbrush as seen in upper High Prairie along the old service road that led to the old lookout atop Lookout Mountain, Badger Creek Wilderness..........July 4, 2013.
Photo at right of Suksdorf's paintbrush from Trail #95, Goat Rocks Wilderness.......... August 30, 1998. Note the prominent, long, thin galea with the short, green lower lip which may be seen at the upper right side of the inflorescence!
Characteristics:
Suksdorf's paintbrush is a bright, showy wildflower of subalpine meadows which usually arises as solitary stems, usually reaching heights between 30 and 50 cm. The stems and leaves may be smooth or glabrous, but may also be somewhat hairy. Individual leaves are often entire and linear-lanceolate, with the upper leaves often being pitch for in shape due to one or two pairs of pointed lateral lobes (see photo below). These lateral lobes are usually nuch narrower than the mid- section of the leaf.
The inflorescence is at first short and thick, but elongates during the season. The bracts and calyces are marked with bright red, with a narrow band of yellow below the tips (see photos). The bracts are broadly 5-parted and are shorter than the flowers. The corolla is is 30 to 50 mm in length, and the galea is much longer than the short, stubby green lower lip (see photo at right).
Prominent features to aide identification include the long galea in comparison to the short, green lip, and the narrow band of yellow below the bright red tips of the bracts and calyces.
Suksdorf's paintbrush is named after the well-known student of southern Washington wildflowers, Wilhelm Nikolaus Suksdorf, who spent much time studying the flowers of the Columbia River Gorge and of Mt. Adams.
Habitat:
Suksdorf's paintbrush is found in very moist subalpine meadows, especially near springs or along small streams.
Range:
Suksdorf's paintbrush is found in the Cascade Mountains from Mount Adams, Washington in the north to Crater Lake, Oregon in the south.
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Suksdorf's paintbrush as seen in upper High Prairie along the old service road that led to the old lookout atop Lookout Mountain, Badger Creek Wilderness..........July 4, 2013.
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Suksdorf's paintbrush as seen at left in moist meadows at the trailhead for the trail to Lookout Mountain, Badger Creek Wilderness..........July17, 2016. The photo at right shows a habitat view of Suksdorf's paintbrush as seen in upper High Prairie along the old service road that led to the old lookout atop Lookout Mountain, Badger Creek Wilderness..........July16, 2017.
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Suksdorf's paintbrush (inflorescence and stem leaf) from Trail #95, Goat Rocks Wilderness.......... August 30, 1998. Note the long galeas.
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Suksdorf's paintbrush blooming at left in wetlands at the south end of High Prairie, Badger Creek Wilderness..........July 13, 2019. The photo at right shows Suksdorf's paintbrush blooming at moist areas along the Timberline Trail at Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area......July 6, 2019.
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Suksdorf's paintbrush in bloom at left along the Pacific Crest Trail #2000 in upper Cispus Basin, Goat Rocks Wilderness......August 19, 2020. The photo at right shows Suksdorf's paintbrush still in bloom along the Park Meadows Trail #4075 near Snow Creek, Deschutes National Forest......August 22, 2021.
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Suksdorf's paintbrush still in bloom in drying wetland meadows at High Prairie, Badger Creek Wilderness.......August 27, 2022.
Suksdorf's paintbrush observed in bloom at Mount Hood Meadows Ski Area, Mount Hood National Forest......July 4, 2021.
Paul Slichter