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Taxon  Report  
Castilleja ambigua  Hook. & Arn.  ssp. ambigua 
Johnny nip
Castilleja ambigua ssp. ambigua is an annual herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
DJJJASONAFMM

Bloom Period
Parent: Castilleja ambigua
Genus: Castilleja
Family: Orobanchaceae  
(Scrophulariaceae)
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Wetlands: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands

Communities: wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS
Alternate Names:
OTHEROrthocarpus castillejoides var. castillejoides
PLANTSOrthocarpus castillejoides
OTHEROrthocarpus longispicatus
OTHEROrthocarpus maculatus
CNPSCastilleja ambigua var. ambigua
Information about  Castilleja ambigua ssp. ambigua from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
Jepson eFlora

USDA PLANTS Profile (CAAMA3)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

[pnwflowers.com] Description, Habitat: Ascending. Stems branched. Lower leaves lance-shaped, long, pointed; upper leaves wider, divided into 3 to 7 lobes with brightly-colored or white tips. Inflorescence consists of a dense spike of bracts surrounding flowers. Flowers yellow with purple or red tips, or purple with lower tip yellow; beak straight. Grows in coastal salt marshes. (link added by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 07/12/2025).