Castilleja campestris subsp. campestris

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: annual · Native

Field paintbrush is a California native annual herb found in southern North Coast Ranges Interior, Cascade Ranges, northern Sierra Nevada, Great Valley, and Modoc Plateau in vernal pools and moist habitats at elevations below 2,100 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces light to bright yellow flowers with delicate, slender bracts. Growing with thin, flexible stems, it forms low-spreading clusters in wet meadows and seasonal wetlands. Its leaves are narrowly linear, creating a fine, feathery texture along the plant's slender structure. In vernal pool habitats, field paintbrush adds a subtle splash of yellow during the brief spring flowering season.

Habitat: Vernal pools, moist places

Bloom period: Apr-Jul

Elevation: < 2100 m

Bioregions: s NCoRI, CaR, n SN, GV, MP

California counties: El Dorado, Sutter, Amador, Modoc, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Lassen, Butte, Plumas, Shasta, Yuba, Sierra, Stanislaus, Solano, Lake, Sonoma, Merced

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