Castilleja (cusickii)
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Tara Luna USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana 59936 (406) 888-7835 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc |
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| Family Scientific Name: | Scrophulariaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Figwort family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Castilleja cusickii Greenm. | ||
| Common Synonym: | Castilleja lutea Heller | ||
| Common Name: | Yellow Paintbrush | ||
| Species Code: | CASCUS | ||
| Ecotype: | Fescue grassland, Two Medicine, Glacier National Park, Glacier Co., MT., 1585m elevation. | ||
| General Distribution: | C. cusickii grows from 300 to 3,000 meters in elevation; from southwest Alberta, Montana, and Wyoming west through Idaho and eastern Washington and northeastern Oregon. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Stock Type: | 160 ml conetainers | ||
| Time To Grow: | 8 Months | ||
| Target Specifications: | Stock Type: Container seedling<br> Height:5 cm<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: firm plug in conetainer. | ||
| Propagule Collection: | Seeds are hand collected in early August when capsules begin to split and seed is easily shaken out of the capsule. Seeds are gray at maturity. Capsules are collected in paper bags and kept in a well vetilated drying shed prior to cleaning. | ||
| Propagule Processing: |
Seeds are hand cleaned at the nursery. Seed longevity is unknown. Seed dormancy is classified as physiological dormancy. Seeds/Kg: 1,200,000/kg. % Purity: 100% % Germination: 52% to 90% |
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| Pre-Planting Treatments: | 2 treatments were applied: 5 month outdoor stratification resulted in 52% germination. 90 day cold, moist stratification using moistened paper towels in a refrigerator at 2C resulted in 90% germination. | ||
| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
Greenhouse and outdoor nursery growing facility. Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seeds are lightly covered with medium. Growing medium used is 70% 6:1:1 milled sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite and 30% sand with Osmocote controlled release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 month release rate at 21C) and Micromax fertilizer (12%S, 0.1%B, 0.5%Cu, 12%Fe, 2.5%Mn, 0.05%Mo, 1%Zn) at the rate of 1 gram of Osmocote and 0.20 gram of Micromax per 172 ml conetainer. Greenhouse temperatures are maintained at 21 to 25C during the day and 16 to 18C at night. Seedlings are hand watered and remain in greenhouse until mid May. Seedlings are then moved to outdoor nursery for the remainder of the growing season. Seedlings are irrigated with Rainbird automatic irrigation system in early morning until containers are thoroughly leached. Average growing season of nursery is from late April after snowmelt until October 15th. |
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| Establishment Phase: | Medium is kept slightly moist during germination. Initial germination was uniform and appeared complete in 3 weeks. Germination occurred at 21C or above during the day. Host root exudates are not required for germination; the seedlings grow vigorously until they produce 4 to 8 true leaves. At this stage, 3 to 4 weeks after germination, it is necessary to companion plant a host seedling (Erigeron peregrinus was used) to further growth and development of the seedling. The haustoria roots are then induced by the presence of the exudates of the host roots and the hemi-parasitic relationship is then established. | ||
| Length of Establishment Phase: | 4 weeks | ||
| Active Growth Phase: | Root and shoot development occur at a rapid rate after the haustoria are formed. Plants had formed 15 to 25 true leaves, were 3 cm in height and root tight in 8 weeks. It is necessary to keep the growth of the companion plant in check by pruning, so it does not out- compete the Castilleja seedling in the container. | ||
| Length of Active Growth Phase: | 8 weeks | ||
| Hardening Phase: | Irrigation is gradually reduced in September and October. Plants are flushed with clear water once before winterization. | ||
| Length of Hardening Phase: | 4 weeks | ||
| Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: |
Total Time To Harvest: 8 months Harvest Date: September Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow. |
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| Length of Storage: | 5 months | ||
| Other Comments: | Castilleja species are hemiparasitic; the larger seed size of members of the Scrophulariaceae allows for the initial establishment of the seedling without the radicle having to make contact with a host root immediately. However, introduction of a host is necessary for continued growth and development. Seedlings that were not companion planted begin to decline in vigor 8 weeks after germination. | ||
| References: |
Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, 7th edition, University of Washington Press, 1973. Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, Hassell,Wendel, U.S.D.I. and U.S.D.A., April 1996. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, baskin and Baskin, Academic Press, 1998. Glacier National park Propagation Records, unpublished. |
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Citation:
Luna, Tara; Wick, Dale; Hosokawa, Joy. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Castilleja cusickii Greenm. plants 160 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/01). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
