Castilleja Mutis ex L. f.

Indian paintbrush, prairie-fire

Indian paintbrush comparisons

	Castilleja arachnoidea	Castilleja foliolosa	Castilleja integra
Common Name	cobwebby Indian paintbrush	woolly Indian paintbrush	foothill paintbrush
Plant	Plants are 3–12″ (7.6–30 cm) high.	12–24″ (30–60 cm) tall, multiply branched, coated with a “felt” of white to gray, branched hairs.	Plants are up to 1½′ (50 cm) in height, covered with fuzzy white hairs.
Leaves	¾–2″ (2–6 cm) long, unlobed or forked into lobes.	⅜–1¾″ (1–5 cm) long, mostly linear (long and narrow), sometimes forked.	linear, long and narrow, hairless on top and hairy beneath, often curled and almost tubular in shape. Leaves are entire, not divided into lobes or forks.
Flowers	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.	Flower clusters are 1–8″ (3–20 cm). Each flower is ½–⅞″ (1.5–2.5 cm) in size, surrounded with bracts (modified leaves) of similar size. Flowers are orange-red or sometimes yellow-green in color, appearing from March to June.	Flowers are greenish, with a bright scarlet tinge; largely hidden by the bracts, specialized leaves that are red-orange or sometimes yellowish in color. Appear from April to October.
Fruit	Capsules are about ⅜″ (1 cm) long.	⅜–½″ (1–1.5 cm) long, with seeds that are 1/32–1/16″ (1.5–2 mm).	Capsules ⅜–⅝″ (1.2–1.6 cm) long contain wedge-shaped seeds about 1/32″ (1 mm) long.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Open summits, dry rocks, elevations 1.1–1.9 mi (1.7–3 km).	Yellow pine forest, foothills woodlands, chaparral, grasslands.	Dry hills, woodlands, mesas, plains, high prairies, at elevations of 3281–10827′ (1–3.3 km).

	Castilleja linariifolia	Castilleja miniata	Castilleja rhexiifolia
Common Name	Wyoming Indian paintbrush	giant red Indian paintbrush	splitleaf Indian paintbrush
Plant	Plants are 12–40′ (3.7–12 m) tall, and often branched. (Sometimes up to 6½′ (2 m).) Initially grayish-green, stems and leaves become tinged with purple over time.	1½–3′ (45–91 cm) high, with unbranched or rarely branched stems. Stems are green, becoming purplish with age.	Plants occur in small clusters, with unbranched purplish or red stems.
Leaves	Leaves are linear, long and narrow, usually entire (undivided), though sometimes upper leaves are lobed. They are often curled, almost tubelike.	Leaves are 1–2″ (3–6 cm) long, lanceolate (lance-shaped) and entire (undivided), with sharp tips.	Leaves are broadly lanceolate (lance-shaped), and entire (unlobed).
Flowers	Flowerheads are ⅞–2″ (2.5–5.2 cm) in size. Bright red bracts (modified leaves) about 1¼″ (3.4 cm) long mostly hide drab yellow-greenish flowers within. Flowers appear from May to October.	The flowerheads, 1–6″ (3–15 cm) in size, are mostly bracts (modified leaves), colored crimson or scarlet; the true flowers are small, green, and easily overlooked.	A pink/purple hue rather than the more common strong red or red-orange colors. In addition to purple-magenta, pink-white, pink-magenta and crimson also occur. Flowers are mostly bracts—modified leaves—which largely enclose greenish flowers.
Fruit	Two-chambered capsules.	Fruits are ⅛–⅜″ (6–12 mm) in size, containing seeds that are 1/32–1/16″ (1.5–2 mm).
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Among sagebrush and grasses, pinyon/juniper and ponderosa pines; between 3280–9842′ (999–2999 m)	Moist places, such as meadows and bogs; elevations of 0.0–137783724.4 mils (0–214748364 µm)	Alpine and subalpine meadows in the Rocky Mountains and related western mountain ranges.

Castilleja description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.