Castilleja integra (Foothill paintbrush)

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Castilleja integra A. Gray

Foothill paintbrush, wholeleaf Indian paintbrush, squawfeather, southwestern 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	integra	“Entire, undivided, with no teeth,” because the leaves are not divided or forked as with many others in this genus

About plant names...

Wholeleaf Indian paintbrush (so named, presumably, to distinguish it from splitleaf Indian paintbrush) is a North American native, one of about 200 species of Castilleja. If you're interested in Castillejas, don't miss Mark Egger's superb photographic compilation on Flickr. They appear from April to October. See also this Castilleja comparison table.

Identification: Plants are up to 20" (50 cm) in height, covered with fuzzy white hairs. Leaves are linear, long and narrow, hairless on top and hairy beneath, often curled and almost tubular in shape. The leaves are entire, that is, not divided into lobes or forks as they often are with other Indian paintbrushes. Flowers are greenish in color, with a bright scarlet tinge; but they are largely hidden by the bracts, specialized leaves that are red-orange or sometimes yellowish in color.

Online References:

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

Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness

CalPhotos

Eastern Colorado Wildflowers

George and Audrey DeLange's Arizona wildflower site

8/26/2014 · Near Sandstone Bluffs, El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico
≈ 6 × 8" (14 × 20 cm)

8/26/2014 · Rt. 53, El Malpais Nat. Monument, El Caldaron Area, El Malpais, New Mexico
≈ 9 × 7" (22 × 18 cm) ID is uncertain

8/26/2014 · Rt. 53, El Malpais Nat. Monument, El Caldaron Area, El Malpais, New Mexico
≈ 5 × 6" (13 × 16 cm) ID is uncertain

8/26/2014 · Rt. 53, El Malpais Nat. Monument, El Caldaron Area, El Malpais, New Mexico
≈ 8 × 6" (20 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

Castilleja integra description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 11 Oct 2021.

The red flowers are the C. integra. White flowers are locoweed. · 7/7/1999 · Florissant and Lake George area, Colorado · By Tim Chandler

8/26/2014 · Near Sandstone Bluffs, El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico
≈ 3½ × 14" (9.1 × 35 cm)

8/26/2014 · Near Sandstone Bluffs, El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico
≈ 6 × 7" (16 × 17 cm)

5/21/2009 · Grand Canyon South Rim, Arizona
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 11 cm)

8/26/2014 · Rt. 53, El Malpais Nat. Monument, El Caldaron Area, El Malpais, New Mexico
≈ 5 × 6" (13 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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