Castilleja applegatei subsp. pallida

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Pale paintbrush is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Great Basin in dry rocky slopes and red-fir forests to alpine barrens at elevations of 1,900 to 3,600 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces yellow to orange-red flowers with a long beak 7 to 10 millimeters long. Growing with slender stems 10 to 25 centimeters tall, it forms compact clusters in harsh alpine environments. Its leaves are divided into three distinctive lobes, creating a delicate, finely structured appearance. The flowers have a complex calyx divided deeply into lanceolate, acute lobes, giving the plant an intricate and elegant profile.

Habitat: Dry rocky slopes and flats, red-fir forest to alpine barrens

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 1900-3600 m

Bioregions: SNH, GB.

California counties: Mono, Tulare, Alpine, Fresno, Mariposa, Tuolumne, Inyo, El Dorado, Madera, Amador, Kern, Plumas, Trinity, Lassen, Placer, Siskiyou

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.