Castilleja cinerea
Encyclopedia
Castilleja cinerea is a species of Indian paintbrush
known by the common name ashgray Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to San Bernardino County, California
, where it is known only from the San Bernardino Mountains
. There are about 20 occurrences known.
is made up of fuzzy dull to bright reddish or purplish pink bract
s between which emerge smaller yellowish to greenish flowers. The color of the inflorescence is influenced by the environment of the plant; those with more northern exposures tend to have yellowish flowers and those facing south have more reddish flowers.
Like other Castilleja
species, this plant parasitizes
other species for water and nutrients; C. cinerea is generally found tapping buckwheats (Eriogonum
spp.) and sagebrushes (Artemisia spp.).
scrub, woodland, and coniferous forest. It is also known from the unique quartzite
pebble plain habitat in these mountains, which it shares with other endemics such as Arenaria ursina
.
s, logging, grazing, mining, and invasive species
of plants.
Castilleja
Castilleja, commonly known as Indian paintbrush or Prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes, northern Asia, and one species as far west as the Kola Peninsula in Siberia...
known by the common name ashgray Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
, where it is known only from the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...
. There are about 20 occurrences known.
Description
This is a perennial herb growing up to 15 centimeters tall and covered in a coat of ash-gray woolly hairs. The leaves are linear or narrowly lance-shaped and one or two centimeters long. The inflorescenceInflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is made up of fuzzy dull to bright reddish or purplish pink bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s between which emerge smaller yellowish to greenish flowers. The color of the inflorescence is influenced by the environment of the plant; those with more northern exposures tend to have yellowish flowers and those facing south have more reddish flowers.
Like other Castilleja
Castilleja
Castilleja, commonly known as Indian paintbrush or Prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the Americas from Alaska south to the Andes, northern Asia, and one species as far west as the Kola Peninsula in Siberia...
species, this plant parasitizes
Parasitic plant
A parasitic plant is one that derives some or all of its sustenance from another plant. About 4,100 species in approximately 19 families of flowering plants are known. Parasitic plants have a modified root, the haustorium, that penetrates the host plant and connects to the xylem, phloem, or...
other species for water and nutrients; C. cinerea is generally found tapping buckwheats (Eriogonum
Eriogonum
Eriogonum is the scientific name for a genus of flowering plants, in the family Polygonaceae. The genus is found in North America and is known as wild buckwheat. This is a highly species-rich genus, and indications are that active speciation is continuing...
spp.) and sagebrushes (Artemisia spp.).
Habitat
Castilleja cinerea grows in several habitat types, including dry desert and sagebrushSagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
scrub, woodland, and coniferous forest. It is also known from the unique quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
pebble plain habitat in these mountains, which it shares with other endemics such as Arenaria ursina
Arenaria ursina
Arenaria ursina is a species of flowering plant in the pink family known by the common name Bear Valley sandwort.-Distribution:It is endemic to San Bernardino County, California, where it is known from a few occurrences in the vicinity of Big Bear...
.
Threats
The Castilleja cinerea plant is a federally listed threatened species. Threats to its survival include development of its habitat for human use, recreation, off-road vehicleOff-road vehicle
An off-road vehicle is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving on and off paved or gravel surface. It is generally characterized by having large tires with deep, open treads, a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks...
s, logging, grazing, mining, and invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
of plants.