Taxon Report

Castilleja hololeuca Greene

island white-felted paintbrush

Print Report

Keir Morse

Taxon Summary

Castilleja hololeuca, commonly known as island white-felted paintbrush, is a perennial herb (hemiparasitic) in the Orobanchaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest, and Coastal scrub, growing at elevations from 20 to 365 meters. Castilleja hololeuca is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Castilleja hololeuca Greene
Common Name:	island white-felted paintbrush
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR0D1L1
USDA Plants Symbol:
Synonyms/Other Names:	Castilleja lanata ssp. hololeuca

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb (hemiparasitic)
Blooming Period: Feb-Sep	Feb-Sep
Elevation:	20-365 (65-1200)
General Habitats:	Chaparral, Closed-cone coniferous forest, Coastal scrub
Microhabitat:	Rocky
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:	changed from 1B.2 to 4.3 on 2025-02-04

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	41
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	1
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	40

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Santa Barbara (SBA), Ventura (VEN)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Anacapa Island (3311983), San Miguel Island East (3312083), San Miguel Island West (3312084), Santa Cruz Island A (3311987), Santa Cruz Island B (3311986), Santa Cruz Island C (3311985), Santa Cruz Island D (3311984), Santa Rosa Island East (3311988), Santa Rosa Island North (3312081), Santa Rosa Island South (3312071), Santa Rosa Island West (3312082)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Former declines caused by nonnative herbivores and grazing pressure. C. hololeuca population size and areal extent have increased since nonnative herbivores have been removed from the northern Channel Islands.
Threats:
Some occurrences potentially threatened by erosion.
Taxonomy:

Selected References

Proposed Change from CRPR 1B.2 to 4.3 (2025)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 14 November 2025].