Castilleja lemmonii

Common Names

Lemmon's Indian Paintbrush, Lemmon's Paintbrush, Meadow Paintbrush

Summary

This perennial hemiparasitic herb is native to subalpine and alpine Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range in California, extending slightly into western Nevada, and grows 10–20 cm tall with green to gray-green, glandular, spreading-hairy stems and linear to lanceolate leaves 20–40 mm long. The inflorescence bears purple-red bracts around pale yellow corollas with a prominent beak; blooms occur July–August, and flowers are bisexual with a 4-lobed calyx and a 2-lobed stigma; capsules are asymmetrical 7–9 mm long and seeds 1–1.5 mm. Wind- and gravity-driven dispersal occurs, as haustorial parasitism on host roots supports the life cycle with hosts including grasses, sedges, and forbs, and bumblebees serve as primary pollinators; the plant is a bioindicator of moist subalpine meadows.

Practical considerations center on its hemiparasitic lifestyle, requiring host roots, with hosts including grasses, sedges, and forbs; native elevational range is 1,550–3,700 m and its moist-subalpine meadow habitat provides the ecological context, making it a bioindicator of such habitats.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

4-8 inches

Soil Type

Moist meadow soil

Soil Drainage

Moist soils (moist meadows)

Bloom Color

Pink

Bloom Time

Summer

Foliage Color

Green

Fall Foliage Color

Pink to Purple-Red

Seasons of Interest

Summer and Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds (primary propagation method; capsules with numerous small seeds; wind/gravity dispersal), Spores, Cuttings, Division, Layering, vegetative reproduction uncommon; rhizome spread reported in some Castilleja species; evidence for rhizome spread in this species is lacking

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees and other pollinators