Castilleja mendocinensis
Coastal California endemic perennial hemiparasitic herb in the broomrape family (Orobanchaceae) with bright red to orange-red bracts on long inflorescences, native to the Mendocino County coast and coastal dune and scrub habitats, flowering May–August, and considered rare and endangered due to habitat loss.
Common Names
Mendocino Coast Indian Paintbrush, Mendocino Coast Paintbrush
Summary
Mendocino Coast Indian paintbrush is a perennial herb native to California’s coast, with a heavily branching, spreading growth habit that reaches 17–65 cm in length. Gray-green, bristly foliage supports an inflorescence of layered bracts that are greenish at the base and tipped orange-red to red, with tubular flowers that are greenish or yellowish and sometimes red-tinted; leaves are fleshy and oblong, and the plant is distinctly hemiparasitic. It occurs along coastal headlands and bluffs in coastal shrub vegetation and typically flowers from May through August, contributing vivid color and distinctive bracts to the landscape.
Conservation status includes Federal Species of Concern and State Endangered, with CNPS rank 1B.2, and most California populations occur along the Mendocino County coast in dunes and coastal scrub and bluffs; threats include limited habitat, development, erosion, invasive plants, habitat fragmentation, and climate-change vulnerability. For cultivation and restoration, no definitive propagation guidance is provided; experimental approaches based on related species have been suggested, with attention to its hemiparasitic nature and potential transplanting harm; conservation actions emphasize habitat protection, monitoring, and seed collection and banking for insurance and ex-situ research.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
16-24 inches
Spread
2 feet
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun.
Soil Type
Sandy soils
Soil Drainage
Sandy soils
Soil pH
Acidic (pH < 6.8)
Bloom Color
Red
Bloom Time
Spring and Summer
Foliage Color
Gray-green
Fall Foliage Color
Orange, Green, Red, Gray-Green
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, other pollinators, birds (hummingbirds only)
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (Eastw.) Pennell
- Publication
- Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 99: 184 (1947)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Lamiales
- Family
- Orobanchaceae
- Genus
- Castilleja