Attenuate Indian Paintbrush, Narrowleaf Paintbrush, Narrow-leaf Owl-clover, Valley Tassels, Valley-tassels
Castilleja attenuata
Synonym: Orthocarpus attenuatus
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Narrow-leaf owl-clover from along the Horsethief Butte Trail to the north of
the Dalles, OR..........April 24, 2006 (left) and April
15, 2009 (right).
Characteristics:
Narrow-leaf owl-clover is a slender annual wildflower with erect,
unbranched stems from 10-35 cm high. The leaves are narrowly lance-linear and
range from 2-6 cm long. The margins are entire although the upper leaves may
be 3-cleft. The leaves are all found on the stems.
The inflorescence is not very attractive. It is narrow and elongate
with the bracts becoming increasingly cleft up the stem. The calyx is unequally
lobed and the linear corolla is 1-2.5 cm long. The corolla is white and trisaccate.
The lower lip is larger with yellow markings and smaller purplish spots within.
The teeth of the lowerlip are well developed and nearly equal in length to the
galea.
Habitat:
Narrow-leaf owl-clover is a wildflower of open meadows, pastures,
and grassy slopes.
Range:
Narrow-leaf owl-clover may be found from southern Vancouver
island to California. It is found west of the Cascades except for the Columbia
River Gorge anda population found near Mackenzie Pass in the Oregon Cascades.
In the Columbia River Gorge, it may be found between the elevations
of 100'-220' from near the Wind River east to the Deschutes River.
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A close-up sideview of the bract, calyx and corolla of narrow-leaf owl-clover as seen at left from along the Horsethief Butte Trail to the north of
the Dalles, OR.........April 24, 2006.
The photo at right shows narrow-leaf owl-clover blooming on open slopes above the Dalles Mountain Ranch, Columbia Hills Historical State Park......April 22, 2022.
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3 close-up views of the inflorescence of narrow-leaf owl-clover as seen from along the Horsethief Butte Trail to the north of
the Dalles, OR........May 8, 2009.
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Narrow-leaf owlclover as seen on Castilleja Hill along the Memaloose Trail, Columbia River Gorge........April 21, 2017.
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The first of the new year's growth of narrow-leaf owl-clover coming up at left on a southwest facing slope at the Klickitat Breaks, Klickitat Wildlife Area........February 26, 2015. The photo at right shows a clump of narrow-leaf owlclover in bloom along trails above the Crawford Oaks trailhead at Columbia Hills Historical State Park......April 9, 2018.
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Narrow-leaf owl-clover as seen from Castilleja Hill near Memaloose in the central Columbia River Gorge of Oregon.........April
15, 2001.
Paul Slichter