Taxon Report

Castilleja montigena Heckard

Heckard's paintbrush

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Castilleja montigena, commonly known as Heckard's paintbrush, is a perennial herb (hemiparasitic) in the Orobanchaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest, Pinyon and juniper woodland, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1950 to 2800 meters. Castilleja montigena is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Castilleja montigena Heckard
Common Name:	Heckard's paintbrush
Family:	Orobanchaceae
Element Code:	PDSCR0D3G0
USDA Plants Symbol:	CAMO20
Synonyms/Other Names:	Castilleja ewanii Eastw.

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb (hemiparasitic)
Blooming Period: May-Aug	May-Aug
Elevation:	1950-2800 (6400-9185)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest, Pinyon and juniper woodland, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
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:

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: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
San Bernardino (SBD)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Big Bear City (3411637), Big Bear Lake (3411628), Fawnskin (3411638), Forest Falls (3411618), Keller Peak (3411721), Moonridge (3411627), Onyx Peak (3411626), San Gorgonio Mtn. (3411617), Twentynine Palms (3411621)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


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

Notes



Presumed to be a stabilized species of hybrid origin, with C. applegatei ssp. martinii and C. chromosa as parents; see the former in The Jepson Manual (1993). See Systematic Botany 5(1):71-85 (1980) for discussion of origin and taxonomy.
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 24 October 2025].