The plant genus Castilleja (the iconic group of wildflowers more commonly known as "the paintbrushes") is a very young and diverse group of plants found primarily in western North America. Taxonomy in the genus has been challenging, resulting in its notoriety as a 'difficult group'. Much of the difficulty has been attributed to its young age, polyploidy, and the apparent ease of hybridization when species co-occur. This talk will broadly cover the biology of Castilleja, what we do (and don't) know about its evolution, and how my research is aiming to fill in the gaps. I will also highlight the challenge of defining species in lineages like Castilleja and what that means for systematics and taxonomy in the group.

Dr. Sarah Jacobs is an Assistant Curator of Botany, and the Howell Chair of Western North American Botany, at the California Academy of Sciences. In her role as curator, Sarah runs a research lab studying plant systematics and speciation, with a particular focus on the genus Castilleja, and contributes to the guidance of the institution's herbarium, with an emphasis on its western North American collection. While Sarah hails from Arakans, she has been 'west of the Rockies' for 15 years; she earned her Masters at Washington State University, her PhD at the University of Idaho, and worked as a postdoc at UCLA for two years, prior to accepting her current position in the Bay Area.