Wildflowers of Southern Arizona
Rincon Mountain Indian Paintbrush.
Castilleja austromontana.
Broomrape (Orobanchaceae) family.
The beak-like flowers are surrounded by petal-like, red-tipped, somewhat egg-shaped floral bracts with broad, rounded tips that are either entire (unlobed) or very shallowly cleft near the tip to create 2 small, narrow side lobes. The flowers are followed by egg-shaped seed capsules. The leaves have 3 main lengthwise veins and are green, hairless above, covered with long, soft, spreading, unmatted hairs below, alternate, sessile, simple (undivided), linear to lanceolate in shape, and entire (not lobed). The uppermost leaves intergrade with the red floral bracts and these leaf-bracts can have two small, shallow side lobes. The stems are green, upright, and covered with long, fine hairs that are not matted, flattened, woolly, or grayish in color. These plants are partial root parasites of nearby plants.
Santa Catalina Mountains.
Location: Oracle Ridge Trail.
7/30/15
See SEINet Pictures and Description
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