dense-flowered owl’s-clover

(denseflower indian paintbrush)
Castilleja densiflora

Member of owl’s clover
paintbrushes (genus Castilleja)
broomrape family (family Orobanchaceae)
dicots (class Magnoliopsida)
red purple, pink in flowering plants

Only ssp. densiflora is found in the bay area.

---

• corolla beak straight, puberulent, appearing almost glabrous in comparison
• the spherical stigma is exserted on the top of the (erect) corolla beak [example]
• inflorescence 20–40 mm wide
• corolla wider distally, pouches generally 3–7 mm wide
• stigma generally ± exserted
• branches 0 or few from mid-stem
• leaf lance-linear, < 3 mm wide
• common, particularly in the Santa Cruz range

Toxicity of paint brush, painted cup (Castilleja spp.):
0 – Non-toxic.

---

Chris’s observations: 35 (all are research grade)

Locations:

• Edgewood County Park & Natural Preserve: 13
• Coyote Lake / Harvey Bear Ranch CP: 5
• Henry Coe SP: 4
• Long Ridge OSP: 2
• Máyyan 'Ooyákma Coyote Ridge OSP: 2
• Skyline Ridge OSP: 2
• Big Basin SP
• Calero CP
• El Sereno OSP
• Foothills Nature Preserve, Palo Alto
• San Jose, CA
• Stevens Creek CP
• UCSC Campus Natural Reserve

Months:

• Mar.: 6
• Apr.: 17
• May: 11
• Jun.: 1

For more details, use advanced search.

---

Taxon info: iNaturalist – Calflora – CalPhotos – Jepson eFlora – FNA

Bay Area species: iNaturalist – Calflora