notes The gestalt of this bundled-bunch of long-pedicelled Orobanche flowers immediately brought to mind the former O. fasciculata, recently moved to Aphyllon and so A. fasciculatum now. But the preponderance of red & paucity of yellow in these plants struck me as strange...and I wasn't sure if that species ranged this far east (and this high)? I was familiar with it from many cismontance CA encounters, where I recalled the plants as largely pale-to-bright yellow. However it keyed to A. fasciculatum tout suite & without a hitch in the Jepson eFlora.
Later, perusing the many CalPhotos Orobanche fasciculata posts and checking out their provenances...I noticed most cismontane plants were indeed predominantly yellow, while transmontane plants were predominantly red. And there even seemed to be a cline among plants located at intermediate locations...though the general pattern wasn't without exception.
As a bonus, seeing this ''new color form'' somehow brought out an unconscious association I've had for this species which had previously been submerged...but was suddenly revealed, as if by a magic periscope ;-)
Growing on rocky, calcareous substrate at the precipitous western edge of the Inyo Mountains...with a fantastic view of Lake Tinemaha, the Owens Valley, and the Sierran crest (get an idea here...courtesy of adventurer 'dryfj').