Castilleja minor var. spiralis
One of four accepted varieties of a western North American annual in the Orobanchaceae, native from British Columbia to California and east to the Rocky Mountains, with a corolla longer than one inch and much shorter, non-glandular hairs, occurring in wet or seepage habitats to 7,000 feet in the Tehachapis of the Southwest, and blooming May to September.
Common Names
Lesser Indian Paintbrush, Lesser Paintbrush
Summary
Serpentine paintbrush, also known as Lesser Indian Paintbrush, is an annual herb native to California within western North America. It grows up to 4 feet tall with unbranched stems and narrow leaves that are lanceolate to linear; the corolla is longer than 1 inch and the hairs are short and non-glandular, giving distinctive floral characteristics. It inhabits moist locations such as wet meadows and streambanks, with a distribution that includes the Rocky Mountain states and all western states.
For cultivation, it prefers moist sites and has a blooming period from May to September; the plant reaches up to 4 feet in height and typically has unbranched stems with slender leaves, fitting moisture-rich settings.
Lifecycle
Annual
Soil Type
Moist, serpentine (ultramafic) soils
Soil Drainage
Wet or poorly drained soils
Bloom Color
Red
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer, Fall
Foliage Color
Green
Growth Rate
Annual
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Variety
- Author
- (Jeps.) J.M.Egger
- Publication
- Phytologia 90: 74 (2008)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Lamiales
- Family
- Orobanchaceae
- Genus
- Castilleja
- Species
- Castilleja minor
Synonyms
Castilleja affinis Castilleja spiralis Castilleja stenantha subsp. spiralis Castilleja minor subsp. spiralis