Castilleja sessiliflora (Downy Paintbrush) - photos and description
Upper stem leaf in above photo
Lower stem leaf in above photo
Plant gone to seed in July
Clump of several plants gone to seed in July.
Origin: Native.
General: Perennial plants from a woody crown. Entire plant downy hairy.
Flowers: Flowers white to pink, arching, the upper lip about twice as long as the 3-lobed lower lip. Flowers measured to 5 cm long.
Leaves: Leaves alternate. Upper leaves cleft into 3 lobes, upper leaf measured at 3 cm long and 3 cm wide. Lower leaves entire, linear, lower leaf measured at 30 mm long and 3 mm wide.
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 30 cm, we measured plants to 19 cm tall.
Habitat: Hillsides on the southern prairie.
Abundance: Rare, ranked as an S3 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.
When and where photographed: Photos taken June 17th, steep prairie roadside, edge of the Dirt Hills, about 100 km south west of Regina, SK, and July 5th on prairie hillside near Rockglen, about 250 km southwest of our home in Regina, SK.