Castilleja sulphurea

General: Perennial, semi-parasitic, 25-55 cm tall; stems few to several, erect to ascending, often branched above; herbage scabrous-puberulent. Leaves: Cauline, alternate, lanceolate, sometimes narrowly so, 2- 5.5 cm long, margins entire; blades sessile. Flowers: Inflorescence a spike-like raceme, red to red-orange, rarely yellowish, villous and glandular-puberulent; bracts lanceolate, bearing 1-2 pairs of lateral lobes; calyx 2-3 cm long, cleft into 2 lateral primary lobes, more deeply cleft in front (9-17 mm) than in back (8-13 mm); corolla tubular, 2.5-4.4 cm long, bilabiate, the galea 14-20 mm long, the lower lip much reduced and with incurved teeth; flowers July-August. Fruits: Loculicidal capsule, ovoid-oblong, 9-11 mm long; seeds numerous, minute. Ecology: Meadows, slopes; 2400-2900 m (8000-9500 ft); Apache County; western Canada, western to southwestern U.S. Notes: Castilleja lineata (marsh-meadow Indian paintbrush) is differentiated by linear leaves and gray-tomentose herbage; inflorescence is greenish to greenish yellow, with the calyx equally cleft in front and back. It also occurs in eastern Arizona, in similar habitats. Editor: Springer et al. 2008