Castilleja christii
Encyclopedia
Castilleja christii is a rare species of flowering plant in the broomrape family
known by the common name Christ's Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to Idaho
in the United States, where there is a single population on Mount Harrison in the Albion Mountains. It is one of Idaho's rarest plants.
This plant was named for John H. Christ, who first collected it. It is a perennial herb with a cluster of several erect stems 15 to 30 cm (5.9 to 11.8 in) tall. The lance-shaped leaves are a few centimeters long and may be divided into lobes. The inflorescence
is covered in glandular hairs. It contains many lance-shaped yellow or orange bract
s and flower corollas 2 to 3 cm (0.78740157480315 to 1.2 in) long. Blooming occurs in July and August. The plant reproduces by seed.
This plant grows near the mountain summit at an elevation
of 9100 feet (2,773.7 m), where deep snow accumulates and sometimes lasts into the summer or year-round. It occurs in grassy meadow habitat alongside Festuca idahoensis
and Elymus trachycaulus
, a snowbed habitat with Solidago multiradiata
, Erigeron peregrinus
, Lupinus argenteus
, and Cymopterus davisii, and openings in sagebrush. The climate is subalpine
. The soils are shallow and there are no trees.
The only population of this plant is managed by the Sawtooth National Forest
. The population fluctuates in numbers, sometimes reaching over one million individuals, but is declining overall. The main threat to the species is habitat loss, which has occurred with the construction of roads in the area. Some vehicles also go off-road, despite barriers to prevent this activity. Some cattle grazing occurs in the habitat, but fencing protects some parts of it. Smooth brome
(Bromus inermis) has been introduced
into the habitat, where it is a noxious weed.
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae, the broomrape family, is a family of flowering plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera were formerly included in the family Scrophulariaceae sensu lato...
known by the common name Christ's Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
in the United States, where there is a single population on Mount Harrison in the Albion Mountains. It is one of Idaho's rarest plants.
This plant was named for John H. Christ, who first collected it. It is a perennial herb with a cluster of several erect stems 15 to 30 cm (5.9 to 11.8 in) tall. The lance-shaped leaves are a few centimeters long and may be divided into lobes. 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 covered in glandular hairs. It contains many lance-shaped yellow or orange bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s and flower corollas 2 to 3 cm (0.78740157480315 to 1.2 in) long. Blooming occurs in July and August. The plant reproduces by seed.
This plant grows near the mountain summit at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 9100 feet (2,773.7 m), where deep snow accumulates and sometimes lasts into the summer or year-round. It occurs in grassy meadow habitat alongside Festuca idahoensis
Festuca idahoensis
Festuca idahoensis is a species of grass known by the common names Idaho fescue and blue bunchgrass. It is native to western North America, where it is widespread and common...
and Elymus trachycaulus
Elymus trachycaulus
Elymus trachycaulus is a species of wild rye known by the common name slender wheatgrass. It is native to much of North America, where it grows in widely varied habitats from northern Canada to Mexico....
, a snowbed habitat with Solidago multiradiata
Solidago multiradiata
Solidago multiradiata is a species of goldenrod known by the common names Rocky Mountain goldenrod, northern goldenrod, and alpine goldenrod. It is native to North America, where it can be found throughout the northern regions, including most all of Canada and Alaska, including territory within the...
, Erigeron peregrinus
Erigeron peregrinus
Erigeron peregrinus is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names subalpine fleabane and wandering daisy....
, Lupinus argenteus
Lupinus argenteus
Lupinus argenteus is a species of lupine known by the common name silvery lupine. It is native to much of western North America from the southwestern Canadian provinces to the southwestern and midwestern United States, where it grows in several types of habitat, including sagebrush, grassland, and...
, and Cymopterus davisii, and openings in sagebrush. The climate is subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
. The soils are shallow and there are no trees.
The only population of this plant is managed by the Sawtooth National Forest
Sawtooth National Forest
Sawtooth National Forest is in Idaho and Utah was protected in 1905 by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt as the Sawtooth Forest Reserve. Today the forest administers over 2.1 million acres of some of the most remote forestland in the lower 48 states, and there are over 1,000 lakes and 3,000...
. The population fluctuates in numbers, sometimes reaching over one million individuals, but is declining overall. The main threat to the species is habitat loss, which has occurred with the construction of roads in the area. Some vehicles also go off-road, despite barriers to prevent this activity. Some cattle grazing occurs in the habitat, but fencing protects some parts of it. Smooth brome
Bromus inermis
Bromus inermis is a species of the true grass family . This bunchgrass is native to Europe- Common names :* Arctic brome – English [Bromus inermis subsp. pumpellianus]* Austrian bromegrass – English [Bromus inermis subsp. inermis]...
(Bromus inermis) has been introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
into the habitat, where it is a noxious weed.