Castilleja mendocinensis
Encyclopedia
Castilleja mendocinensis is a species of Indian paintbrush
known by the common name Mendocino Coast Indian paintbrush. It is native to the coastline of Mendocino County, California
, where it grows in coastal sage scrub
habitat. It is also known from isolated occurrences in Humboldt County
and possibly in Oregon
. This is a heavily branching, spreading perennial herb growing up to about 60 centimeters long. It is coated in bristles and light-colored rough hairs, giving it a gray-green color. The leaves are fleshy and rounded or oval in shape, and not more than about 2 centimeters long. The inflorescence
is made up of layers of lobed bracts which are greenish at the base and tipped with shades of bright orange-red to red. Between the bracts emerge the hairy, tubular flowers which are greenish or yellowish and sometimes red-tinted. The fruit is a capsule up to 2 centimeters in length.
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 Mendocino Coast Indian paintbrush. It is native to the coastline of Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
, where it grows in coastal sage scrub
Coastal sage scrub
Coastal sage scrub is a low scrubland plant community found in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of coastal California and northern Baja California. It is characterized by low-growing aromatic, and drought-deciduous shrubs adapted to the semi-arid Mediterranean climate of the...
habitat. It is also known from isolated occurrences in Humboldt County
Humboldt County, California
Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
and possibly in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. This is a heavily branching, spreading perennial herb growing up to about 60 centimeters long. It is coated in bristles and light-colored rough hairs, giving it a gray-green color. The leaves are fleshy and rounded or oval in shape, and not more than about 2 centimeters long. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
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 layers of lobed bracts which are greenish at the base and tipped with shades of bright orange-red to red. Between the bracts emerge the hairy, tubular flowers which are greenish or yellowish and sometimes red-tinted. The fruit is a capsule up to 2 centimeters in length.