Taxon Report

Castilleja ambigua Hook. & Arn. var. ambigua

johnny-nip

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Castilleja ambigua var. ambigua, commonly known as johnny-nip, is a annual herb (hemiparasitic) in the Orobanchaceae that is found in California and elsewhere. It occurs within Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal prairie, Coastal scrub, Marshes and swamps, Valley and foothill grassland, and Vernal pools (margins), growing at elevations from 0 to 435 meters. Castilleja ambigua var. ambigua is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Castilleja ambigua Hook. & Arn. var. ambigua
Common Name:	johnny-nip
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR0D401
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Castilleja ambigua ssp. ambigua

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb (hemiparasitic)
Blooming Period: Mar-Aug	Mar-Aug
Elevation:	0-435 (0-1425)
General Habitats:	Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal prairie, Coastal scrub, Marshes and swamps, Valley and foothill grassland, Vernal pools
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G5T4
State Rank:	S3S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG
CRPR Changes:	added to 4.2 on 2009-02-04

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: False
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Alameda (ALA), Contra Costa (CCA), Del Norte (DNT), Humboldt (HUM), Marin (MRN), Mendocino (MEN), Napa (NAP), San Mateo (SMT), Santa Cruz (SCR), Solano (SOL), Sonoma (SON)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Benicia (3812212), Bolinas (3712286), Briones Valley (3712282), Camp Meeker (3812248), Capell Valley (3812242), Crescent City (4112472), Cuttings Wharf (3812223), Drakes Bay (3812218), Fort Bragg (3912347), Gualala (3812375), Healdsburg (3812257), Inverness (3812217), Kenwood (3812245), Mare Island (3812213), Mendocino Pass (3912278), Montara Mountain (3712254), Napa (3812233), Novato (3812215), Oakland East (3712272), Oakland West (3712273), Pigeon Point (3712224), Plantation (3812353), Point Bonita (3712275), Point Reyes NE (3812227), Redcrest (4012348), San Francisco North (3712274), San Leandro (3712262), San Mateo (3712253), San Quentin (3712284), San Rafael (3712285), Santa Cruz (3612281), Sears Point (3812224), Sebastopol (3812247), St. Helena (3812254), Stewarts Point (3812364), Tomales (3812228), Two Rock (3812237), Vine Hill (3812211), Walnut Creek (3712281), Yountville (3812243)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes



Threatened by development. See C. ambigua ssp. ambigua in TJM 2. See Phytologia 90(1):63-82 (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].