Castilleja arachnoidea (Cobwebby Indian Paintbrush)

Castilleja arachnoidea

Castilleja arachnoidea Greenm.

Castilleja arachnoidea Greenm. ssp. shastensis (Eastw.) Pennell

Castilleja filifolia Eastw.

Castilleja payneae Eastw.

Cobwebby Indian Paintbrush

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Lamiales	Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary
Family	Orobanchaceae	Broomrape family of parasitic plants
Genus	Castilleja	Named for Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo
Species	arachnoidea	“Resembling a spider,” because of the cobweb-like hairs

About plant names...

Cobwebby Indian paintbrush gets its colorful name from the cobweb-like hairs that coat it. It is a North American native plant. If you’re interested in Castillejas, don’t miss Mark Egger’s superb photographic compilation on Flickr. See also this Castilleja comparison table.

Identification: Plants are 3-12" (7.6-30 cm) high. Leaves are ¾-2" (2-6 cm) long, unlobed or forked into lobes. Flowers vary from lemon yellow to pale green or purplish red in color, and appear in June. Bracts—modified leaves—appear under each flower, and are ¼-¾" (6.3-19 mm) long. They are yellowish to dull red. Fruit capsules are about ⅜" (1 cm) long.

Online References:

Castilleja arachnoidea at Mark Egger’s Castilleja site on Flickr

Castilleja arachnoidea on CalPhotos

Castilleja arachnoidea on Turner Photographics' Wildflowers site

Castilleja arachnoidea on Keir Morse's site, Keirosity.com

Castilleja arachnoidea at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Castilleja arachnoidea on SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

Castilleja arachnoidea from the Jepson Manual

Castilleja arachnoidea description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 17 Oct 2013.

8/29/2007 · Near Crater Lake, OR
≈ 3½ × 5" (8.8 × 13 cm)

Range:

About this map...