Fuzzy, was he?

Castilleja occidentalis, July 8, 2020

Castilleja occidentalis, July 8, 2020

C. occidentalis, July 15, 2020

C. occidentalis, July 15, 2020

Common & scientific name
Western Indian paintbrush, Castilleja occidentalis

Family
Broomrape, Orobanchaceae

Location
Green Mountain summit, 12,800’ & upper Lost Man 12,500

Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
What a wonderful alpine fuzzball this is!  Especially when it hybridizes with other paintbrushes like the magenta C. rhexifolia to create tie-dyed, striped wonders.  

While there is much discussion among botanists about the proper classification of paintbrushes, including the genetic difference (if any) between C. occidentalis and the similarly yellowish-white C. sulphurea (also called C. septentrionalis), the two are readily distinguishable in the field by their elevation (C. occidentalis is an alpine plant, C. sulphurea is found lower), their size (C. occidentalis is shorter), and their fuzziness factor (C. occidentalis wins!)

Castilleja hybrid, July 17, 2020

Castilleja hybrid, July 17, 2020