Castilleja subinclusa var. franciscana (Longleaf Indian paintbrush)

Castilleja subinclusa E. Greene var. franciscana (Pennell) Chuang & Heckard

Longleaf Indian paintbrush

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Lamiales	Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary
Family	Orobanchaceae	Broomrape family of parasitic plants
Genus	Castilleja	Named for Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo
Species	subinclusa	From sub-, “almost, approaching,” and inclusus, “confined, shut up, included”: “almost included,” referring to the anthers which in this species are almost included within the corolla
var.	franciscana	“Of or from San Francisco”

About plant names...

This variety of longleaf Indian paintbrush is native to the California coast, and named for San Francisco. If you’re interested in Castillejas, don’t miss Mark Egger’s superb photographic compilation on Flickr. They appear from April to October. See also this Castilleja comparison table.

Identification: Plants are 12-47" (30-120 cm) tall, grayish-green, becoming purplish with age. Leaves are 1-3" (3-8 cm) long, more or less lanceolate (lance-shaped), unlobed or lobed. Flowerheads are 2-16" (6-40 cm) in size, bright red to orange-red or yellow, appearing from March to May. The colored portions are really modified leaves (bracts). The flowers are ¾-1¼" (2-3.2 cm) long, yellow-green, cigar-shaped, and often much more prominent than those on other Castillejas. Fruits are ⅜-½" (1-1.5 cm) in size, with ¹/₁₆" (2 mm) seeds. They are found at low elevations near the coast.

Online References:

Castilleja subinclusa var. franciscana at Mark Egger’s Castilleja site on Flickr

Castilleja subinclusa var. franciscana on CalPhotos

Castilleja subinclusa var. franciscana on Calflora

Castilleja subinclusa var. franciscana at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Castilleja subinclusa var. franciscana from the Jepson Manual

Castilleja subinclusa var. franciscana description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

Found near the Golden Gate bridge. · 6/12/2007 · Sausalito, California
≈ 11 × 7" (28 × 18 cm)

Found near the Golden Gate bridge. · 6/12/2007 · Sausalito, California
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

Range:

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