![]() Next time I promise to get better and more-informed photographs. I didn't even recognize this plant as a Paintbrush until I was reviewing my photos, well after the trip was over. It helps to know what the key parts of the plant to photograph are in advance as well. His response highlights the need to take excellent photos for identification purposes. If I had to choose, I'd call it an unusually pale form of C. It's definitely one of those two, but IĬan't offer a definitive without more photos, particularly close up Usually yellowish) in the somewhat compact inflorescence, but the color Besides the three you listed, there are C. You mentioned in your blog that there are three Castilleja species inĪK, but that is not correct. I was surprised at how quickly he responded with very useful information. I reached out to a Castilleja specialist hoping to get some better idea of the identification for the plant I found. This Paintbrush could have been feeding on all the other plants visible in the photo, as they don't specialize on one type of plant. They're not a seriously aggressive parasite and could theoretically live on their own, but they definitely get a boost by feeding off a neighbor (who does suffer from the process). They have specialized roots called haustoria that grow into the roots of other plants to steal moisture and nutrients from the victimized plant. The most interesting thing about them to me, however, is that they're parasites. Paintbrush flowers, in all their shades, are lovely wildflowers. It seems to be closer to white around Fairbanks, however. The "Yellow Paintbrush" grows through much of southern Alaska, where it is typically seen in shades of yellow to pale orange. miniata are generally found in shades of red or pink, so I'm pretty sure I found an example of C. parviflora), and "Scarlet Paintbrush" ( C. unalaschensis), "Mountain Paintbrush" ( C. There are three Castilleja species noted as living in Alaska: "Yellow Paintbrush" ( C. The populations of various species grade intoĮach other, with intermediate forms confusing identification even ![]() The genus contains some 200 species that are oftenĭifficult to distinguish. I recognized it as a paintbrush flower (genus Castilleja), though I had never before seen one this pale. I found this plant growing up at the top of a mountain, where we were starting a four-wheeler trip from.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |