Castilleja ecuadorensis
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| Castilleja ecuadorensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Orobanchaceae |
| Genus: | Castilleja |
| Species: | C. ecuadorensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Castilleja ecuadorensis | |
Castilleja ecuadorensis is a species of plant in the paintbrush genus (Castilleja), part of the broomrape family (Orobanchaceae). It is endemic to Ecuador where it grows at very high elevations, above 3,000 meters, in wet meadows. It was only scientifically described as a species in 1984.
Castilleja ecuadorensis is a skinny, short lived perennial plant that usually grows 15–30 centimeters tall, but occasionally may reach 35 cm. It usually has one, two, or less often three stems that grow straight upwards from a narrow root crown and have a purple tinge. The roots are simple and fiberous.[2]
The leaves are linear, long and narrow like grass, with the lower ones having smooth edges and no lobes, but the upper ones having one or two pairs of short side lobes. Leaves have fine hairs that are mostly found on the edges and midvein. They normally range in length from 1.5 to 2.5 cm, but will sometimes reach 3 cm.[2]
The flowers are in a raceme that is somewhat sparsely puberulent, covered in fine, short, erect hairs. This especially so on the veins and edges of the bracts and the sepals. The bracts strongly resemble the leaves lower down on the plant and become both shorter and wider towards the top. The sepals are 15 to 23 millimeters long, but often do not exceed 19 mm. Their color is predominately green, but have a purple tinge especially on its veins. The petals are united into a tube for 6–14 mm of its total 14–27 mm length. This corolla is green, pale green and fuzzy on its back. The lower lip is very small with three inwards curving tooth shapes.[2]