I have grown this species, C. scabrida for several years. i have found that it is not picky about the assumed hosts it associates with but have found that the seed never germinates without one. In the case of the photos Aquilegia jonesii and Penstemon idahoensis are the presumed hosts.
Mark Egger's exceptional and extensive collection of Orobanchaceae photos is amazing. I use it as a reference often. I hope you all enjoy browsing through it.
You will also find nice smaller sets of photos from Family Phrymaceae, Family Calceolariaceae, genus Calochortus, genus Penstemon, genus Delphinium, genus Aquilegia, Family Lamiaceae, Family Orchidaceae.
Castilleja nana grows in dry, rocky alpine habitat. From the Sierra Nevada range east through Nevada with a toe hold in western Utah. You find it growing at elevations of 6500'-12000' (2000-3700m) It stands about 6"-10" (15-25cm) tall.
Castilleja miniata is one of our native species, which has been doing nicely out in the front yard from 3 plants purchased from a local grower 9 years ago, and has been producing a small number of seedlings in the last few years.
Emerging mid-May, and in bloom by mid-June this late year:
Colour variations:
These plants are from a spot just a few miles up the road from me (mentioned in my Alberta Wanderings post today)--on the edge of a semi open poplar woodland, amongst fairly heavy growth of saplings, grasses and forbs, and out into the more open roadside, this wonderful colony of mixed colour Castillejas is found.
I've assumed them to be miniata, since that's the only species supposedly in my area, and it does have some variation in colour, but I really wonder if there could be something else in the mix here?
The paint brush I am most familiar with is Castilleja chromosa(syn. Castilleja angustifolia var. dubia) found growing in the Great Basin high desert steppe comunities across the west.
There is some debate as to whether the correct name is "chromosa" or "angustifolia". I have given up changing the name. It doesn't matter what you call it, it's still a nice species.
The Scrophs (or is it now Plantaginaceae?) are split between Penstemon, Castilleja and Veronica...which leaves out a few odd ball cousins like Paederota, Synthyris, Calceolaria and a few other wierdies I have an excessive fondness for...including Scrophularia. This is actually quite a large genus of mostly rather homely plants, although I am quite fond of many of them due to sheer stubborness or perversity. Who knows.
I know it looks like the wild, but if you look carefully at the upper right you can see a corner of the veggie garden and the edge of the trough this grew in.