Taxon Report

Castilleja rubicundula (Jeps.) T.I. Chuang & Heckard var. rubicundula

pink creamsacs

Print Report


©2010 Vernon Smith

Taxon Summary

Castilleja rubicundula var. rubicundula, commonly known as pink creamsacs, is a annual herb (hemiparasitic) in the Orobanchaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral (openings), Cismontane woodland, Meadows and seeps, and Valley and foothill grassland, growing at elevations from 20 to 910 meters. Castilleja rubicundula var. rubicundula is ranked 1B.2, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Moderately threatened in California.

  Classification
Scientific Name:
 Castilleja rubicundula (Jeps.) T.I. Chuang & Heckard var. rubicundula
Common Name:
 pink creamsacs
Family: Orobanchaceae
Element Code: PDSCR0D482
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:
  • Castilleja rubicundula ssp. rubicundula

Ecology and Life History
Lifeform: annual herb (hemiparasitic)
Blooming Period: Apr-Jun Apr-Jun
Elevation: 20-910 (65-2985)
General Habitats: Chaparral, Cismontane woodland, Meadows and seeps, Valley and foothill grassland
Microhabitat: Serpentine
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status
CA Rare Plant Rank: 1B.2
Global Rank: G5T2
State Rank:
 S2
State List: None
Fed List: None
Other Status: BLM_S; SB_UCSC
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB
Total Occurrences: 42
Element Occurrence Ranks:
   Excellent (A) 5
   Good (B) 7
   Fair (C) 1
   Poor (D) 3
   None (X) 4
   Unknown (U) 22

Location
California Endemic:  True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Butte (BUT), Colusa (COL), Glenn (GLE), Lake (LAK), Napa (NAP), Santa Clara (SCL), Shasta (SHA), Yolo (YOL)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Chittenden (3612185), Gilmore Peak (3912235), Glascock Mtn. (3812283), Hamilton City (3912261), Hamlin Canyon (3912166), Hough Springs (3912225), Jericho Valley (3812274), Knoxville (3812273), Leesville (3912224), Lodoga (3912234), Middletown (3812275), Morgan Hill (3712126), Nord (3912178)*, Olinda (4012244), Oroville (3912155), Pennington (3912137), Salt Canyon (3912213), Wilbur Springs (3912214), Wilson Valley (3812284)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB

Threat List Total: 12
EOs with Threat Listed: Total EOs % of EOs
10 24 %
Foot traffic/trampling 5 11%
Grazing 4 9%
Development 4 9%
ORV activity 3 7%
Erosion/runoff 2 4%
Non-native plant impacts 2 4%
Feral pigs 1 2%
Other 1 2%
Recreational use (non-ORV) 1 2%
Road/trail construction/maint. 1 2%
Vandalism/dumping/litter 1 2%
Agriculture 1 2%

Notes
Possibly threatened by grazing, mining, vehicles, and road construction. See C. rubicundula ssp. rubicundula in TJM 2. See Manual of the Flowering Plants of California, p. 943 (1925) by W.L. Jepson for original description, Systematic Botany 16(1):658 (1991) for taxonomic treatment, and Phytologia 90(1):63-81 (2008) for revised nomenclature.
Threats:
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 30 January 2025].