Castilleja exserta

Common Names

Purple Owl's Clover, Exserted Indian Paintbrush, Owl's Clover, Escobita, Common Owl's Clover, Red Owl Clover

Summary

Purple Owl’s Clover is an annual herb native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It grows upright to about 4–18 inches tall, forms clumps or carpets, and has slender, hairy stems with thready leaves; showy pink-purple to lavender flowers appear in dense, paintbrush-like inflorescences with bracts of the same color.

Cultivation favors full sun and fast-draining soil, tolerating sand and clay with very low water needs. Propagation is by seed and requires planting with a perennial host plant because the plant is hemiparasitic; seeds are best sown with native grasses or other hosts. Uses include ornamental massing in landscapes and habitat plantings, with a crucial ecological role as a host for the Bay checkerspot butterfly and as a nectar source for butterflies and moths.

Lifecycle

Annual

Height

4-18 inches

Spread

1-2 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 3-11

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun. Tolerates partial sun

Soil Type

Fast-draining sandy soil

Soil Drainage

Fast-draining soil

Soil pH

5.0-8.0

Bloom Color

Purple with lavender, violet, pink, white, rose, magenta, and cream tones.

Bloom Time

Late Spring to Early Summer

Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Fast

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees, butterflies, and moths