Taxon Report

Castilleja ambigua (Hook. & Arn.) T.I. Chuang & Heckard var. insalutata (Jeps.) J.M. Egger

pink Johnny-nip

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Castilleja ambigua var. insalutata, commonly known as pink Johnny-nip, is a annual herb (hemiparasitic) in the Orobanchaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal prairie, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 0 to 100 meters. Castilleja ambigua var. insalutata is ranked 1B.1, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Seriously threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Castilleja ambigua (Hook. & Arn.) T.I. Chuang & Heckard var. insalutata (Jeps.) J.M. Egger
Common Name:	pink Johnny-nip
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR0D403
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Castilleja ambigua ssp. insalutata

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	annual herb (hemiparasitic)
Blooming Period: May-Aug	May-Aug
Elevation:	0-100 (0-330)
General Habitats:	Coastal prairie, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.1
Global Rank:	G5T2
State Rank:	S2
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:	BLM_S
CRPR Changes:	added to 1B.1 on 2010-03-04

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	9
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	9

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Monterey (MNT)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Marina (3612167), Monterey (3612158), Salinas (3612166)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Threatened by development. Possibly threatened by non-native plants. See C. ambigua ssp. insalutata in TJM 2. See Manual of the Flowering Plants of California (Jepson 1925) for original taxonomy and 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 28 October 2025].