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Castilleja arvensis

Schltdl. & Cham. (1830)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Asterids Order: Lamiales Family: Orobanchaceae Genus: Castilleja

Indian paintbrush, painted cup

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Hemiparasitic annual herbs 1–8 dm tall.

Stems: Stems erect, unbranched or occasionally sparingly branched usually above the middle, villous and glandular pubescent to hirsute.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades lanceolate to oblanceolate or linear–elliptic, 1–6 cm long, 0.3–1.5 cm wide. Apex acute to broadly acute. Base attenuate. Surfaces puberulent and also sparsely hirstellous, especially along the veins; blades often early deciduous. Margins entire. Conspicuously 3-veined from the base. Sessile. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in dense spikes, these elongating so that older flowers are widely spaced; bracts gradually differing from the leaves, becoming shorter, broader, more incised, and colored toward apex, leaf-like, narrowly lanceolate to oblong, lower ones green, upper ones tipped with red, orange, or occasionally yellow. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx cylindrical, 10–12 mm long, tomentose and usually glandular puberulent. Corolla greenish, strongly bilabiate, cylindrical, elongate and narrow, upper lip hooded and beak-like, ca. 10 mm long, usually slightly shorter than calyx, the hood puberulent, lower lip minute, ca. 1 mm long, lobes connate from base to apex and enclosing the anthers, lower lip overlapping upper lip in bud, 3-lobed. Stamens 4, in 2 pairs; anther sacs unequally placed, the outer one attached medially, the smaller one attached by its apex. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, with as many cells; ovule placentation axile; styles solitary, terminal; stigma 2-lobed, capitate.

Fruit: Capsules globose–obovoid; 5–6 mm long; rupturing the calyces as they expand; base oblique. Seeds slightly irregular; usually cuneate; 0.7–1 mm long; seed coat loose and conspicuously reticulate; endosperm oily.

Ploidy: 2n = 24

Habitat: Disturbed areas such as along roadsides and as a pioneer on lava flows.

Elevation Range: 60–2,100 m.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Linnaea 5: 103 (1830)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1239 (K, M, H); Staples et al. 2003:19 (O); Oppenheimer 2007:31 (L); Oppenheimer 2016:26 (Mo)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Castilleja arvensis Off Stainback Highway in Biopower Harvesting Area Preserved_Specimen Wong, W. Hawaii BISH 1985-09-19
2 Castilleja arvensis W Maui, top of Lanilili In area filled with exotic grasses and other plants. Preserved_Specimen Medeiros, A.C. 343 Maui BISH 1982-11-09
3 Castilleja arvensis Volcano dump Preserved_Specimen Wagner, W.L. 5264 Hawaii BISH 1984-02-28
4 Castilleja arvensis Roadway to Nuuanu Pali on the Konahuanui side. Full sun along wet roadside. Associates; Comelina sp., Setaria palmifolia, Sphagneticola trilobata, Cinnamomum burmanii, Ipomoea sp. Preserved_Specimen Leaves scabrous, flower bracts ranging from red to orange. Arthur, K. 172 Oahu BISH 2025-09-04
5 Castilleja arvensis Hilo Airport Common in weedy, grassy places. Preserved_Specimen Erect; bracts red, flws green. Fosberg, F.R. 59512 Hawaii BISH 1980-03-07
6 Castilleja arvensis ahupuaa in the Puna District. The plant was collected along the side of the dirt road that follows the old railroad track The plant was growing in an exposed area along the side of the road. Growing with Sword fern and Andropogon spp. The soil is stoney, mostly composed of crushed `a`a. Preserved_Specimen Yoshida, L. 79.044 Hawaii BISH 1979-02-28
7 Castilleja arvensis ahupuaa of Halepuaa in the Puna District of Hawaii The planty is growing with several grasses under Pluchea odorata and Psidium guajava. Preserved_Specimen Yoshida, L. Hawaii BISH 1979-02-28
8 Castilleja arvensis Honolulu Distr., Wiliwilinui Trail, alongside receiver station near summit Growing with other herbaceous weeds surrounding the station: Sphagneticola, Christella parasitica, Setaria palmifolia, Clidemia. Preserved_Specimen Upright herb up to 1 ft. tall with orange-red terminal rosette of bracts. Smith, J. 1 Oahu BISH 2001-08-26
9 Castilleja arvensis Pahoa, Puna naturalized in weedy, vacent lot Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 31953 Hawaii BISH 1969-05-03
10 Castilleja arvensis Koloa, Kalaheo, 5473C Puulima Road sphagneticola covered bank along driveway Preserved_Specimen erect herb; stems pale green, overlain with reddish brown; leaves dull pale to medium green; bracts green, heavy brownish red overlay, apex bright scarlet Flynn, T.W. 7333 Kauai BISH 2007-03-30
11 Castilleja arvensis East Maui, Koolau Ditch Road disturbed roadside Preserved_Specimen common weed Hobdy, R.W. 2482 Maui BISH 1986-01-23
12 Castilleja arvensis West Maui, Halepohaku Ridge. In low scrub near ridgetop. Preserved_Specimen Hobdy, R.W. 3266 Maui BISH 1991-01-10
13 Castilleja arvensis Koloa/Lihue District boundary, Hoary Head mt range, summit of Mt Haupu Low windswept wet shrubland with Metrosideros, Antidesma, Dicranopteris, Diplopterygium, Syzygium, Cheirodendron, invaded by Rubus rosifolius, Paederia, & Heliocarpus. Preserved_Specimen Herb 40-50 cm, bracts green basally, tips red. Lorence, D.H. 7218 Kauai BISH 1992-07-20
14 Castilleja arvensis Koloa District, Lihue-Koloa Forest Reserve. Along ridge ESE of Puu Kolo to summit dry, exposed area Preserved_Specimen uncommon; leaves dark, dull green above, same below. Bracts scarlet tipped. Flynn, T.W. 3160 Kauai BISH 1988-09-28
15 Castilleja arvensis Nuuanu Pali Dr. Parking lot for the Lulmahu Falls Roadside, shaded, moist Preserved_Specimen Rare along roadside in part sun Faccenda, K. 1912 Oahu BISH 2021-05-29
16 Castilleja arvensis Wailau Valley, tributary of Pulena Stream on south side. Muddy flood plain along perennial stream Preserved_Specimen Naturalized herbs. Vegetation: Metrosideros, Bobea, Syzygium, Psychotria, Aleurites, Antidesma, Dicranopteris, Clidemia, Hedychium, Musa, Tibouchina, Cyclosorus, Cyperus Oppenheimer, H.L. 71517 Molokai BISH 2015-07-14
17 Castilleja arvensis Puu Hapapa, Central Waianae Mountains. Exposed area next to Snail Enclosure mixed in with Schiedea hookeri planting. Also growing with Nephrolepis brownii, Dicranopteris linearis, Planchonella sandwicensis, Psidium cattleianum, Schinus terebinthifolius, Embelia pacifica, and others. Preserved_Specimen Thomas, M.K. 342 Oahu BISH 2022-04-13
18 Castilleja arvensis Pulama, Puna recently bulldozed Preserved_Specimen Degener, O. 32409 Hawaii BISH 1968-02-16
19 Castilleja arvensis Upper Waiakea Forest Reserve, 1942 lava flow on Tree Planting Road center strip of road, where most plants were seen. Several plants noted on roadside Preserved_Specimen Samuelson, G.A. Hawaii BISH 1975-06-04
20 Castilleja arvensis East Maui, Waihoi Valley open, disturbed areas Preserved_Specimen Harrison, B. 61 Maui BISH 1972-07-12
21 Castilleja arvensis Kiolakaa Keaa Homestead Additions, Kau Forest Reserve near Forestry cabin and along Haao Spring Road. Preserved_Specimen Bracts orange Davis, J. 315 Hawaii BISH 1980-08-13
22 Castilleja arvensis East Maui, Hana District, Hana Forest Reserve, Hana Ranch lands, in gulch SW of Keakaamanu On basaltic bedrock gulch floor; gulch sides dominated by Dicranopteris linearis, Ardisia elliptica, patches of Pennisetum purpureum. Preserved_Specimen Rare herb on gulch floor. Imada, C. 200289 Maui BISH 2002-11-18
23 Castilleja arvensis South Hilo District, Waiakea, between Stainback Highway and U.H.Agricultural Experimental Station Preserved_Specimen Herb; tips of upper leaves bright red. Herbst, D.R. 5609 Hawaii BISH 1975-12-17
24 Castilleja arvensis trail near the U.S. Experimental Tree Planting Site within Halepuaa Forest Reserve in the Puna District Found lightly scattered within the vicinity and along the roadside. Preserved_Specimen Clarke, G. 79.224 Hawaii BISH 1979-03-08
25 Castilleja arvensis Keahua Arboretum, Wailua, on hillside beyond pond Preserved_Specimen Leaf: dull olive to faintly reddish, veins deeply impressed. Infl: colored bracts bronzy-green becoming bright pinkish-orange at tip, w/ gland-tipped hairs; sepals pink-green, to bright green at tip; all other floral parts pale green. Hume, L. 514 Kauai BISH 1993-03-04
26 Castilleja arvensis Jct. Stainback Hwy. and Hwy. 13 to Hilo; along disturbed roadside; Preserved_Specimen Wagner, W.L. 4850 Hawaii BISH 1983-07-26
27 Castilleja arvensis Hilo, along Kanoelehua Rd. near phonebooth at Tropical Rent-a-car; Preserved_Specimen Wagner, W.L. 5586 Hawaii BISH 1985-06-25
28 Castilleja arvensis Wahiawa Mtns. In disturbed areas on windward side of ridge between Relay Towers and Mt. Kahili Preserved_Specimen Flynn, T.W. 1125 Kauai BISH 1985-06-07
29 Castilleja arvensis Along bank of Wailua River near Aahoaka Mountain Preserved_Specimen Herbst, D.R. 9771 Kauai BISH 1996-05-31
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