Indian Paintbrush

(Castilleja coccinea)

 

   

 

Color Photograph: Paul Jackson, Cedar Creek Natural History Area, LTER, U.S. Dept. Energy and National Science Foundation.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea [L.] Spreng)

Identification: Flowers small, tubular, with 2 lips and a protruding pistil. Flowers nearly hidden by 3-lobed scarlett to orange-red bracts. Bracts and flowers mostly clustered near the apex of the plant. Stems and leaves hairy. Upper and middle leaves narrow with multiple prongs. Lower leaves ovate elongate. Plant 1 to 2 feet in height.

Distribution: Throughout eastern North America.

Habitat: Indian Paintbrush is found in prairies, fields, and meadows.

Flowering period: May to July.

Similar Species: The pronged upper leaves and the red bracts are distinctive. Other species of Castilleja are found further west or in the arctic and boreal north.

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