Castilleja applegatei flowerspike and characteristic wavy leaves Castilleja applegatei is a species of Castilleja known by the common names Applegate's Indian paintbrush and wavyleaf Indian paintbrush. It is native to the western United States. It is a short perennial with sticky, wavy-edged leaves, which are divided closer to the top of the plant. It bears bright, showy paintbrush-shaped inflorescences of small red to yellowish-red tubular flowers. Like other species of Indian paintbrush, it is a root parasite, feeding off plants such as sagebrush. Although it can survive without parasitizing other plants, individuals which take a host grow faster and larger. There are five subspecies. They are variable in appearance but distinguishable from other Castilleja species by the wavy margins and stickiness of the leaves.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
⚠ sources differ — GIFT: 0.46 m · USDA: 0.457 m · TRY: 0.329 m
Seed mass0.24 mg
⚠ sources differ — TRY: 0.24 mg · GIFT: 0.536 mg
Seed mass max0.286 mg
Seed mass min0.2 mg
Life cycle & reproduction25
After harvest regrowth rateSlow
Bloom periodLate Spring
Coppice potentialNo
Flower colourred
Flower conspicuousYes
Fruit seed period beginSummer
Fruit seed period endSummer
Growth rate USDASlow
Life formperennial
Life spanperennial
Lifespan categoryModerate
Lifespan years8 years
Propagated by bare rootNo
Propagated by bulbNo
Propagated by containerNo
Propagated by cormNo
Propagated by cuttingsNo
Propagated by seedYes
Propagated by sodNo
Propagated by sprigsNo
Propagated by tubersNo
Resprout abilityNo
Seed spread rateSlow
Seedling vigorMedium
Vegetative spread rateNone
Diet & foraging1
Parasiteindependent
Habitat & environment24
Active growth periodSpring and Summer
Adapted to coarse textured soilsNo
Adapted to fine textured soilsYes
Adapted to medium textured soilsYes
Aquaticterrestrial
BloatNone
Climatetemperate
Climberself-supporting
Epiphyteterrestrial
Foliage colorGreen
Foliage porosity summerModerate
Foliage porosity winterPorous
Foliage textureMedium
Fruit colourbrown
Growth formherb
⚠ sources differ — GIFT: herb · TRY: Forb/herb, Subshrub
Growth form USDASingle Crown
Hedge toleranceNone
Known allelopathNo
Leaf retentionNo
Low growing grassNo
Root depth min10 in
Shape and orientationSemi-Erect
Small grainNo
Woodinessvariable
Physiology & chemistry18
Anaerobic toleranceNone
C:N ratioMedium
Caco3 toleranceMedium
Cold stratification requiredNo
Drought toleranceHigh
Fertility requirementLow
Fire resistantNo
Fire toleranceMedium
Frost free days min130 days
Moisture useLow
Nitrogen fixation levelNone
Precipitation max18 in
Precipitation min10 in
Salinity toleranceLow
Shade toleranceHigh
Soil pH max7.8 pH
Soil pH min6.3 pH
Temperature min-28 °F
Uses & economy13
Berry nut seed productNo
Christmas tree productNo
Commercial availabilityNo Known Source
Fodder productNo
Lumber productNo
Naval store productNo
Nursery stock productNo
Palatable humanNo
Post productNo
Pulpwood productNo
Seeds per pound325 000 per lb
ToxicityNone
Veneer productNo
Other traits4
Fall conspicuousNo
Fruit seed abundanceMedium
Fruit seed conspicuousNo
Fruit seed persistenceNo
05DNA & barcoding4 specimens
A DNA barcode is a short, standardised stretch of genes that works like a fingerprint — enough to tell one species from another. Below is the molecular trace Castilleja applegatei has left across the world's sequence archives.
At a glance
DNA specimens4
Marker genes3
GenBank sequences2
eDNA detections2
Countries1
The DNA barcodea real sequence read deposited for this species
★ the standard DNA barcode for this group — the short region actually read to tell this species apart. The rest are extra genes sequenced along the way.
★matK1★rbcLa★ITS1
plant barcodefungal barcode
06Genome at a glanceCCDB
The complete instruction manualCastilleja applegatei carries — its genome. We read it from three angles — how big it is, how the DNA is packed into chromosomes, and how completely it has been sequenced — and explain how to read each value as you go.
Chromosomes & ploidyhow the DNA is packaged
2n is the full chromosome count in a normal body cell; n is a gamete (egg or sperm), which carries half. Ploidy is how many complete chromosome sets each cell holds — 2× (diploid) is typical for animals, while higher levels (polyploidy) are common in plants. Click any value below to see the underlying records and sources.
Chromosomes2n = 24 n = 12
Ploidypolyploid inferred
Chromosome-count records — grouped by value · 2n = full set, n = gamete · click a value for sources & references
2n 241×CCDB · book-fedorov
CCDB · book-fedorov — Heckard (D. n. 1958)
n 244×CCDB · book-ipcn67-71
CCDB · book-ipcn67-71 — HECKARD, L.R. 1968. Chromosome numbers and polyploidy in Castilleja (Scrophulariaceae). Brittonia 20: 212-226.
CCDB · book-ipcn67-71 — HOLMGREN, N.H. 1971. A taxonomic revision of the Castilleja viscidula group. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 21(4): 1-63.
CCDB · book-ipcn67-71 — HECKARD, L.R. 1968. Chromosome numbers and polyploidy in Castilleja (Scrophulariaceae). Brittonia 20: 212-226.
CCDB · book-ipcn73-74 — REVEAL, J.L., & E.L. STYER. 1973. Miscellaneous chromosome counts of western American plants - II. Great Basin Naturalist 33: 19-25.
CCDB · Cave1958 — Heckard 1958
Ploidy records — measured levels and diploid/polyploid inferences · click for sources
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
Coordinate accuracy90% within 1 km
≤100 m 832≤1 km 164≤10 km 81>10 km 35
1 112 georeferenced · 354 without coordinates
Open the mapobservation + sensor1 466
Museum / Voucheredphysical evidence
Backed by a physical specimen — a herbarium sheet, sample or voucher held in a collection. “Vouchered” means supported by material evidence, not just an observation.
Coordinate accuracy72% within 1 km
≤100 m 69≤1 km 181≤10 km 90>10 km 7
347 georeferenced · 425 without coordinates
Open the institutions mapphysical evidence772
Wildobservation + sensor
Human sightings and records, or camera-trap / sensor detections — someone (or a device) saw or captured the species in the wild.
10Collections & institutions
Holding institutions42 of 61 geolocated
Institutions and collections holding physical, vouchered specimens of this species — click a row to fly to it on the map.
Institution
Specimens
Riverside, US
123
Angwin, US
79
Arcata, US
73
Moscow, US
70
Boise, US
42
Davis, US
39
Santa Barbara, US
30
Claremont, US
23
Caldwell, US
23
Provo, US
19
DOI/NPS, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Sitelocation not on record
18
Logan, US
15
San Diego, US
15
San Francisco, US
13
WTUlocation not on record
11
Pocatello, US
11
San Luis Obispo, US
10
Canadian Department of Agriculturelocation not on record
10
Corvallis, US
9
Fredericton Stock Culture Collectionlocation not on record
9
San Jose, US
8
CASlocation not on record
8
Flagstaff, US
8
Los Angeles, US
8
Truckee, US
7
Pullman, US
7
University of Stellenboschlocation not on record
6
Severin-McDaniel Insect Collectionlocation not on record
5
Irvine, US
4
Tampa, US
4
EL PASO, US
4
Northridge, US
4
VALElocation not on record
3
Chapel Hill, US
3
Denver, US
3
Phoenix, US
3
Bronx, US
3
ASUlocation not on record
3
Weber State Universitylocation not on record
3
STNFlocation not on record
3
Bangkok, TH
2
KNFHClocation not on record
2
US
1
DOI/NPS, Colonial National Historical Parklocation not on record
1
DOI/NPS, Greenbelt Parklocation not on record
1
Moscow State Universitylocation not on record
1
US
1
Vancouver, CA
1
Dekalb, US
1
San Angelo, US
1
Chadron, US
1
Whitewater, US
1
Chongqing Museumlocation not on record
1
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratorylocation not on record
1
Henderson, US
1
KNFSClocation not on record
1
Wuzhou, CN
1
Mexico City, MX
1
Bend, US
1
Santa Cruz, US
1
University of Alberta Museumslocation not on record
1
61 institutions · 762 of 772 vouchered records shown · 10 without an institution code
09Environmental DNA2 detections
Where the DNA of Castilleja applegatei was picked up in samples of water, soil or air — nobody saw the organism, only its DNA left behind. A trace is a clue that the species was near, not a confirmed sighting.
Signal
Detections DNA found2
Studies independent surveys1
Countries1
Signal confidence: weakweighed across independent studies, places & mapped detections
Where its DNA was found
0 of 2 detections have coordinates
Open the map1 country0
How strong is each trace?
DNA read depthRead counts were not reported for this species — the map shows presence only, not how strong each trace was.
Modelled climatemodelled
−15°Ctemperature across detection sites+40°C
Temperature median21.8 °C 21.8–21.8
Seasonal swing summer↔winter16.0 °C
Max temp (day)30.2 °C
Min temp (night)14.6 °C
Precipitation8.60 mm/mo
Air humidity38.6 %
Moisture balance-188 mm/mo
Vapour deficit1,597 Pa
Wind speed2.30 m/s
Cloud cover15.6 %
CHELSA 1981–2010, ~9 km grid, at location & month of 1 detection point · median with p10–p90 · reflects where sampling happened, not only the true niche
How to read this: each dot is one detection of this species' DNA in an environmental sample. The confidence meter weighs how many independent studies and places back up the signal — one detection in one study is a hint; many across several studies is solid. Records dated before 2008 (when eDNA methods began) are treated as likely mislabeled and left off the map.
WikipediaWikimedia Foundation2 languages↗
BioWikiNetmultilingual Wikipediamultilingual↗
GBIFGlobal Biodiversity Information Facility2 238 records↗
ENAEuropean Nucleotide Archive · EMBL-EBI2 eDNA detections↗
BOLD SystemsCentre for Biodiversity Genomics4 specimens↗
NCBIUS National Library of Medicinesequences↗
GRIN TaxonomyUSDA-ARSdistribution & uses↗
Open Tree of LifeOpenTreephylogeny backbone↗
CCDBChromosome Counts DB · Tel Aviv U.genome & karyotype↗
PloiDBPloidy Databasegenome & karyotype
GLoBIGlobal Biotic Interactionsbiotic interactions↗