Castilleja angustifolia (Desert paintbrush)

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Castilleja angustifolia (Nutt.) G. Don

Desert paintbrush, painted cup

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	angustifolia	Having narrow foliage

About plant names...

Common paintbrush' genus, Castilleja, is named for 18th century Spanish botanist Domingo Castillejo. Chromosa, meaning "color," is a reference to the bright red flowerheads. 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 less than 24" (60 cm) tall, sometimes as little as 4" (10 cm). Leaves are linear-lanceolate (long and narrow or shaped like a lance), composed of three to five narrow lobes, like fingers. They are ¾-2½" (2-7 cm) in length The intensely bright red (or red-orange or yellow) "flowers" are really bracts—modified leaves, each up to 1½" (3.8 cm) long. The real flowers are mostly hidden, tubular in shape, and yellow-green in color. They appear from May to September. Fruits are a two-chambered capsule. Unlike Castilleja angustifolia, this plant is found below 3200' (975 m); in fact, it is found below sea level, in Death Valley National Monument.

Online References:

Mark Egger’s Castilleja site on Flickr

Northern Arizona Flora

The United States National Parks Service

Wildflowers, Ferns & Trees of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

The Madrean Archipelago Biodiversity Assessment

DesertUSA: Exploring the Southwest

SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network

5/4/2007 · Death Valley Area · By Rhonda Tatiana Schorer

This paintbrush is commonly found growing on sagebrush. · 7/29/2023 · Painted Desert, Arizona · By Ian McNeish

5/4/2007 · Death Valley Area · By Rhonda Tatiana Schorer

5/21/2009 · Grand Canyon South Rim, Arizona
≈ 6 × 4½" (16 × 11 cm)

Castilleja angustifolia description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

4/30/2018 · Cima Road or Nearby, Mojave National Preserve, California
≈ 6 × 9" (14 × 22 cm)

4/30/2018 · Cima Road or Nearby, Mojave National Preserve, California
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

4/30/2018 · Cima Road or Nearby, Mojave National Preserve, California
≈ 6 × 9" (14 × 22 cm)

4/30/2018 · Cima Road or Nearby, Mojave National Preserve, California
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm)

5/4/2018 · Hidden Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, California
≈ 4 × 6" (10 × 14 cm)

Range:

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