Taxon Report

Castilleja grisea Dunkle

San Clemente Island paintbrush

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Taxon Summary

Castilleja grisea, commonly known as San Clemente Island paintbrush, is a perennial herb (hemiparasitic) in the Orobanchaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Coastal bluff scrub, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 10 to 535 meters. Castilleja grisea is ranked 1B.3, Plants Rare, Threatened or Endangered in California and Elsewhere; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Castilleja grisea Dunkle
Common Name:	San Clemente Island paintbrush
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR0D160
USDA Plants Symbol:	CAGR21
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb (hemiparasitic)
Blooming Period: Feb-Aug(Dec)	Feb-Aug(Dec)
Elevation:	10-535 (35-1755)
General Habitats:	Coastal bluff scrub, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:	Rocky
Microhabitat Details:	often canyons

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	1B.3
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	CE
Fed List:	FD
Other Status:	SB_CalBG/RSABG; SB_SBBG
CRPR Changes:	changed from 1B.2 to 1B.3 on 2013-02-19

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	38
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	8
Good (B)	16
Fair (C)	3
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	3
Unknown (U)	8

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Los Angeles (LAX)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
San Clemente Island Central (3211874), San Clemente Island North (3211885), San Clemente Island South (3211873)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	2
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	2	5 %
Improper burning regime	2	5%
Erosion/runoff	1	2%

Notes



Federally listed as Endangered on 1977-09-12, then listed as Threatened on 2013-08-26; Delisted due to Recovery on 2023-02-24. Significantly recovering after removal of feral herbivores on SCM Isl. by the Navy. Potentially threatened by Navy activities, frequent fire and fire control measures, erosion, and non-native plants. See Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences 42:31 (1943) for original description.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Rank Change from 1B.2, G3 / S3 to 1B.3, G3 / S3 (2013)

Recovery Plan for Castilleja grisea (San Clemente Island Paintbrush) (USFWS 1984)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 3 November 2025].