Castilleja
Encyclopedia
Castilleja, commonly known as Indian paintbrush or Prairie-fire, is a genus
of about 200 species of annual
and perennial
herb
aceous plant
s native to the west of the Americas
from Alaska
south to the Andes
, northern Asia
, and one species as far west as the Kola Peninsula
in Siberia
. These plants are classified in the broomrape
family, Orobanchaceae
(following major rearrangements of the order Lamiales
starting around 2001; sources which do not follow these reclassifications may place them in the Scrophulariaceae
). They are hemiparasitic
on the roots of grass
es and forb
s. The generic name honours Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo.
of some Lepidoptera
species
including Schinia cupes
(which has been recorded on C. exserta) and Schinia pulchripennis
(which feeds exclusively on C. exserta), and checkerspot butterflies such as Euphydryas
species.
tribes as a condiment with other fresh greens. These plants have a tendency to absorb and concentrate selenium
in their tissues from the soils in which they grow, and can be potentially very toxic if the roots or green parts of the plant are consumed. Highly alkaline soils increase the selenium levels in the plants. Indian paintbrush has similar health benefits to consuming garlic
if only the flowers are eaten in small amounts and in moderation.
The Ojibwe used a hairwash made from Indian Paintbrush to make their hair glossy and full bodied and as a treatment for rheumatism
. The high selenium content of this plant has been cited as the reason for its effectiveness for these purposes. Nevada Indian tribes used the plant to treat sexually-transmitted diseases and to enhance the immune system
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of about 200 species of annual
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
and perennial
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
aceous plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s native to the west of the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
south to the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
, northern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, and one species as far west as the Kola Peninsula
Kola Peninsula
The Kola Peninsula is a peninsula in the far northwest of Russia. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely to the north of the Arctic Circle and is washed by the Barents Sea in the north and the White Sea in the east and southeast...
in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. These plants are classified in the broomrape
Broomrape
Broomrape or Broom-rape is a genus of over 200 species of parasitic herbaceous plants in the family Orobanchaceae, mostly native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Some species formerly included in this genus are now referred to the genus Conopholis.The broomrape plant is small, from...
family, Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae, the broomrape family, is a family of flowering plants of the order Lamiales, with about 90 genera and more than 2000 species. Many of these genera were formerly included in the family Scrophulariaceae sensu lato...
(following major rearrangements of the order Lamiales
Lamiales
Lamiales is an order in the asterid group of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It includes approximately 11,000 species divided into about 20 families...
starting around 2001; sources which do not follow these reclassifications may place them in the Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family, are a family of flowering plants. The plants are annual or perennial herbs with flowers with bilateral or rarely radial symmetry. Members of the Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including...
). They are hemiparasitic
Parasitic plant
A parasitic plant is one that derives some or all of its sustenance from another plant. About 4,100 species in approximately 19 families of flowering plants are known. Parasitic plants have a modified root, the haustorium, that penetrates the host plant and connects to the xylem, phloem, or...
on the roots of grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es and forb
Forb
A forb is a herbaceous flowering plant that is not a graminoid . The term is used in biology and in vegetation ecology, especially in relation to grasslands and understory.-Etymology:...
s. The generic name honours Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo.
Ecology
Castilleja are eaten by the larvaeCaterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
of some Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
including Schinia cupes
Schinia cupes
Schinia cupes is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from Texas, west to New Mexico and north to Kansas and Colorado.The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adults are on wing from March to June. There is a second smaller generation flying from late-July to September.The larvae feed on Camissonia...
(which has been recorded on C. exserta) and Schinia pulchripennis
Schinia pulchripennis
The Common Flower Moth is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in North America, including California and Nevada.The wingspan is 17–21 mm.The larvae feed on Castilleja exserta.-External links:***...
(which feeds exclusively on C. exserta), and checkerspot butterflies such as Euphydryas
Euphydryas
Euphydryas is a genus of Nymphalidae butterfly.-Species:Euphydryas species-group:* Euphydryas phaeton – Baltimore CheckerspotHypodryas species-group:...
species.
Uses
The flowers of Indian paintbrush are edible, and were consumed in moderation by various Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribes as a condiment with other fresh greens. These plants have a tendency to absorb and concentrate selenium
Selenium
Selenium is a chemical element with atomic number 34, chemical symbol Se, and an atomic mass of 78.96. It is a nonmetal, whose properties are intermediate between those of adjacent chalcogen elements sulfur and tellurium...
in their tissues from the soils in which they grow, and can be potentially very toxic if the roots or green parts of the plant are consumed. Highly alkaline soils increase the selenium levels in the plants. Indian paintbrush has similar health benefits to consuming garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
if only the flowers are eaten in small amounts and in moderation.
The Ojibwe used a hairwash made from Indian Paintbrush to make their hair glossy and full bodied and as a treatment for rheumatism
Rheumatism
Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.-Terminology:...
. The high selenium content of this plant has been cited as the reason for its effectiveness for these purposes. Nevada Indian tribes used the plant to treat sexually-transmitted diseases and to enhance the immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
.
Selected species
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Castilleja affinis Castilleja affinis Castilleja affinis is a species of Castilleja known by the common name coast Indian paintbrush.It is native to western North America from Washington to Baja California, where it grows on hills and mountains slopes along the coast and inland.... |
Coast Indian paintbrush |
| Castilleja ambigua Castilleja ambigua Castilleja ambigua is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name Johnny-nip. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California, where it is most common along the coast in salt marshes and scrub.-Description:... |
Paintbrush owl's clover | |
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Castilleja angustifolia Castilleja angustifolia Castilleja angustifolia is a species of wildflower known by the common names northwestern paintbrush and desert Indian paintbrush. It is an herbaceous perennial native to the desert scrub and woodlands of western North America.-Description:... |
Northwestern Indian paintbrush |
| Castilleja annua | Annual Indian paintbrush | |
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Castilleja applegatei Castilleja applegatei Castilleja applegatei is a species of Castilleja known by the common names Applegate's Indian paintbrush and wavyleaf Indian paintbrush.It is native to the western United States. It is a short perennial with sticky, wavy-edged leaves... |
Applegate's Indian paintbrush, Wavyleaf Indian paintbrush |
 |
Castilleja arachnoidea Castilleja arachnoidea Castilleja arachnoidea is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name cobwebby Indian paintbrush.It is native to northern California and Nevada and southern Oregon, where it is a resident of the local mountain ranges and the Modoc Plateau. This is a small woolly perennial herb growing... |
Cobwebby Indian paintbrush |
| Castilleja arvensis | ||
| Castilleja attenuata Castilleja attenuata Castilleja attenuata is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common names attenuate Indian paintbrush and valley tassels. It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Baja California, where it grows in grassland habitat.-Description:This is an annual herb growing up to... |
Narrowleaf owl's clover | |
| Castilleja brevistyla Castilleja brevistyla Castilleja brevistyla is a species of Castilleja known by the common name shortstyle Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to California, where it grows on the grassy mountain slopes surrounding the San Joaquin Valley.... |
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| Castilleja campestris Castilleja campestris Castilleja campestris is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name vernal pool Indian paintbrush. It is native to California and southern Oregon, where it grows in seasonally moist habitat, especially vernal pools.-Description:... |
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| Castilleja caudata | Port Clarence Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja cervina | Deer Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja christii Castilleja christii Castilleja christii is a rare species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common name Christ's Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to Idaho in the United States, where there is a single population on Mount Harrison in the Albion Mountains. It is one of Idaho's rarest plants.This... |
Christ's Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja chromosa | Desert Indian paintbrush, Desert paintbrush | |
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Castilleja cinerea Castilleja cinerea Castilleja cinerea is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name ashgray Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to San Bernardino County, California, where it is known only from the San Bernardino Mountains. There are about 20 occurrences known.-Description:This is a perennial herb growing... |
Ashgray Indian paintbrush |
| Castilleja coccinea | Scarlet Indian paintbrush, Scarlet painted-cup | |
| Castilleja cusickii | Cusick's Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja densiflora Castilleja densiflora Castilleja densiflora is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name denseflower Indian paintbrush. It is native to California and northern Baja California, where it grows in grassland and chaparral habitat. It is a variable species. It is generally 10 to 40 centimeters tall with linear... |
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| Castilleja ecuadorensis Castilleja ecuadorensis Castilleja ecuadorensis is a species of plant in the Scrophulariaceae family. It is endemic to Ecuador.-References:* León-Yánez, S. & Pitman, N. 2004. . Downloaded on 21 August 2007.... |
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| Castilleja elegans Castilleja elegans Castilleja elegans, the elegant Indian paintbrush, is a herbaceous plant species in the genus Castilleja found in Canada.... |
Elegant Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja elmeri | Elmer's Indian paintbrush | |
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Castilleja exserta Castilleja exserta Castilleja exserta is a species of plant in the genus which includes the Indian paintbrushes. Its common names include purple owl's clover, escobita, and exserted Indian paintbrush.... |
Purple owl's clover, Purple Indian paintbrush, Exserted Indian paintbrush, escobita. Formerly in Orthocarpus. |
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Castilleja foliolosa Castilleja foliolosa Castilleja foliolosa is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common names woolly Indian paintbrush and Texas Indian paintbrush. It is native to California and northern Baja California, where it grows in chaparral and rocky desert and mountain slopes. Despite its common name, it does not... |
Texas Indian paintbrush |
| Castilleja fruticosa | ||
| Castilleja fulva | Elko Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja grisea Castilleja grisea Castilleja grisea is a rare species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name San Clemente Island Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to San Clemente Island, one of the Channel Islands of California... |
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| Castilleja guadalupensis | (extinct) | |
| Castilleja hispida | Harsh Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja hyetophila | Coastal red Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja hyperborea | Northern Indian paintbrush | |
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Castilleja indivisa Castilleja indivisa Castilleja indivisa, commonly known as Texas Paintbrush or Entireleaf Indian Paintbrush, is a hemiparasitic annual wildflower native to Texas and Oklahoma in the United States. The bright red leaf-like bracts that surround the white to greenish flowers make the plant look like a ragged brush that... |
Entireleaf Indian paintbrush, Texas paintbrush |
| Castilleja lacera Castilleja lacera Castilleja lacera is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name cutleaf Indian paintbrush.It is native to California and southern Oregon, where it grows in grassy mountain and foothill habitat. This is an annual herb coated in glandular hairs and growing up to about 40 centimeters... |
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| Castilleja lanata | Sierra woolly Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja lasiorhyncha Castilleja lasiorhyncha Castilleja lasiorhyncha is a species of Indian paintbrush is endemic to southern California known by the common name San Bernardino Mountains Indian paintbrush... |
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| Castilleja latifolia Castilleja latifolia Castilleja latifolia is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name Monterey Indian paintbrush.It is endemic to the coastline of California between the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey County. Its range extends from about Point Reyes to Big Sur... |
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Castilleja lemmonii Castilleja lemmonii Castilleja lemmonii is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name Lemmon's Indian paintbrush. It is native to the high mountain ranges of eastern California and just into western Nevada, where it grows in moist meadows. It is a perennial herb 10 to 20 centimeters tall coated in... |
Lemmon's Indian paintbrush |
| Castilleja levisecta Castilleja levisecta Castilleja levisecta is a rare species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common name golden paintbrush, or golden Indian paintbrush. It is native to British Columbia and Washington, where it is known from eleven remaining populations. It occurred in Oregon but all natural... |
Golden paintbrush | |
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Castilleja linariifolia Castilleja linariifolia Castilleja linariifolia is a perennial plant, native to the United States and is the state flower of Wyoming. It has a number of common names including Wyoming Indian paintbrush, Narrow-leaved Indian paintbrush, desert paintbrush, Wyoming desert paintbrush, Wyoming paintbrush, linaria-leaved Indian... |
Narrowleaf Indian paintbrush |
| Castilleja lineariiloba Castilleja lineariiloba Castilleja lineariiloba is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name sagebrush Indian paintbrush that is endemic to the grasslands of the Sierra Nevada foothills in California.-Description:... |
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| Castilleja lutescens | Stiff yellow Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja mendocinensis Castilleja mendocinensis Castilleja mendocinensis is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name Mendocino Coast Indian paintbrush. It is native to the coastline of Mendocino County, California, where it grows in coastal sage scrub habitat. It is also known from isolated occurrences in Humboldt County and... |
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| Castilleja miniata Castilleja miniata Castilleja miniata is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name giant red Indian paintbrush. It is native to western North America from Alaska to Ontario to California to New Mexico, where it grows usually in moist places in a wide variety of habitat types.-Description:This wildflower... |
Greater red Indian paintbrush | |
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Castilleja minor Castilleja minor Castilleja minor is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common name lesser Indian paintbrush.It is native to western North America from British Columbia to California to New Mexico, where it grows in moist habitats such as spring meadows.-Description:This is an annual... |
Smallflower Indian paintbrush, lesser Indian paintbrush |
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Castilleja mollis Castilleja mollis Castilleja mollis is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name softleaf Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to the Channel Islands of California, where it is currently known only from Santa Rosa Island. An occurrence was once noted on San Miguel Island, but the plant has not been found... |
Softleaf Indian paintbrush |
| Castilleja mutis | ||
| Castilleja nana Castilleja nana Castilleja nana is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name dwarf alpine Indian paintbrush. It is native to the western United States from the Sierra Nevada of California east to Utah, where it grows in dry, rocky alpine habitat.... |
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| Castilleja neglecta | Tiburon Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja nubigena Castilleja nubigena Castilleja nubigena is a species of plant in the Orobanchaceae family. It is endemic to Ecuador.-References:* León-Yánez, S. & Pitman, N. 2004. . Downloaded on 21 August 2007.... |
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| Castilleja occidentalis Castilleja occidentalis Castilleja occidentalis is a member of the genus Castilleja , commonly referred to as western Indian paintbrush. Like other members, it is a hemi-parasite.-Distribution:... |
Western Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja pallescens | Pallid Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja pallida var. lapponica | Boreal Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja parviflora Castilleja parviflora Castilleja parviflora is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name mountain Indian paintbrush. It is native to western North America from Alaska to California, where it grows in high mountain habitat, including areas of alpine climate.... |
Small-flowered Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja parvula | ||
| Castilleja pilosa Castilleja pilosa Castilleja pilosa is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name parrothead Indian paintbrush. It is native to the western United States from California to Wyoming, where it grows in mountain and plateau habitat across the Great Basin and surrounding regions... |
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| Castilleja praeterita Castilleja praeterita Castilleja praeterita is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name Salmon Creek Indian paintbrush. It is endemic to the High Sierra Nevada of California, where it grows in dry sagebrush meadows.-Description:... |
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| Castilleja pruinosa Castilleja pruinosa Castilleja pruinosa is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name frosted Indian paintbrush. It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows in several types of forested habitat.-Description:... |
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| Castilleja raupii | Raup's Indian paintbrush, Raup's painted-cup | |
| Castilleja rhexiifolia | Rhexia Rhexia Rhexia is a genus of plants in the Melastomataceae family. Like many other flowers in that family, Rhexia virginica is buzz pollinated and has yellow stamens which change color following the first day of flowering... -leaf Indian paintbrush, splitleaf Indian paintbrush |
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| Castilleja rubicundula Castilleja rubicundula Castilleja rubicundula is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name cream sacs.This wildflower is native to northern California and southern Oregon, where it lives on coastal and inland grasslands. It is a hairy, glandular annual growing to about half a meter in height, the stem leafy... |
Cream sacs | |
| Castilleja rupicola | Cliff Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja schizotricha Castilleja schizotricha Castilleja schizotricha is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name splithair Indian paintbrush. It is native to the Klamath Mountains of southern Oregon and northern California, where it grows in rocky soils in temperate coniferous forests... |
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| Castilleja septentrionalis Castilleja septentrionalis Castilleja septentrionalis is a species of Indian paintbrush known by several different common names, including pale painted cup , northern painted cup , pale Indian paintbrush , and Labrador Indian paintbrush. The scientific name "Castilleja pallida Spreng. var... |
Labrador Indian paintbrush, Northern paintbrush | |
| Castilleja sessiliflora Castilleja sessiliflora Castilleja sessiliflora is a species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common names downy Indian paintbrush and downy paintedcup. It is native to the Great Plains of North America from southern Canada, through the central United States, to northern Mexico... |
Downy Indian paintbrush, Downy paintbrush | |
| Castilleja socorrensis | ||
| Castilleja subinclusa Castilleja subinclusa Castilleja subinclusa is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name longleaf Indian paintbrush. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in a number of habitat types... |
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| Castilleja sulphurea | Sulphur Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja tenuis Castilleja tenuis Castilleja tenuis is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name hairy Indian paintbrush. It is native to western North America, where it grows in a number of habitat types, especially in mountainous areas.-Description:... |
Hairy owl's clover | |
| Castilleja thompsonii | Thompson's Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja unalaschcensis | Alaska Indian paintbrush | |
| Castilleja yukonis | Yukon Indian paintbrush | |
External links
- Native Plant Information Network: Listing of species in the Castilleja genus.
- Jepson Manual - taxonomic description of the genus.