Description

Indian Paintbrush is a species native to western North America from Washington to Baja California, where it grows on hills and mountains slopes along the coast and inland. This is a perennial herb growing an erect stem up to 2' in maximum height. It is greenish to purple in color and may be hairless to quite hairy. The leaves are variable in shape and up to 3" long. The flower cluster is a series of leaves in shades of bright red to yellowish. The fruit is a capsule less than half inch long. Ssp. affinis (Coast Indian paintbrush) occurs commonly throughout western North America from Washington to Baja California. Castilleja is a hemi-parasite, meaning that it derives some of its nutrients from a host plant. It does best in full sun with rocky and sandy soil. It does well in coastal areas and is used for butterfly gardens.