Castilleja lanata

Castilleja lanata is densely tomentose. The upper leaves are cleft to form three lobes, the lower leaves are not. The floral bracts are red at the apex. Castilleja lanata is found at lower elevations in the Gila National Forest, while Castilleja integra is the most common middle elevation species, and Castilleja austromontana is the upper elevation species.

Martin and Hutchins 1969, Kearney and Peebles 1969

Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Subshrub General: Perennial with densely lanate to tomentose stems 10-90 cm tall. Leaves: Feltlike, linear to linear-lanceolate, densely tomentose, lower ones entire, upper ones deeply cleft to form 3 lobes. Flowers: Inflorescence a dense elongated spike, green floral bracts, scarlet at apex, lanate-tomentose to villous, cleft into linear-lanceolate lobes; calyx equally cleft for half the length of the tube on both upper and lower sides, tube villous, yellow but scarlet at the apex; corolla exserted about 4 mm, the hooded portion as long as or longer than the corolla tube, green and villous or sparsely glandular, margins red and scabrous, lower lip green, glabrous with inconspicuous lobes Fruits: Loculicidal capsule with numerous seeds. Ecology: Found on dry slopes, often with granitic or limestone substrates; 2,500-7,000 ft (762-2134 m); flowers March-August. Distribution: s CA, s AZ, s NM, s TX; south to n MEX. Notes: The feltlike, white, woolly tomentose herbage are a key characteristic of this species. Also found in the region is subsp. lanata. As with other Castilleja subspecies and varieties, the distinctions are not well sorted out. This is another species that is worth collecting. Ethnobotany: Unknown, but other species in the genera have uses. Etymology: Castilleja is for the Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo (1744-1793), while lanata means covered with long, woolly hair. Synonyms: None Editor: SBuckley, 2010, FSCoburn 2015