Castilleja miniata subsp. miniata

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Scarlet Indian paintbrush is a California native perennial found in the northwestern California, Cascade Range, Sierra Nevada, central Coast, southern Coast Ranges, southwestern California, and Great Basin regions in wet montane meadows and streambank habitats at elevations of 1,500 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces bright red to orange-red flowers with a corolla 20 to 40 millimeters long, creating vibrant clusters that illuminate mountain landscapes. Growing with stout stems reaching moderate heights, it develops robust and striking inflorescences that stand out in alpine and subalpine environments. Its leaves are arranged along the stem, complementing the dramatic red flowering bracts that characterize this eye-catching paintbrush species. The fruit develops to approximately 10 to 12 millimeters long, completing its reproductive cycle in high-elevation mountain habitats.

Habitat: Common. Wet montane meadows, streambanks

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: (350)1500-3500 m

Bioregions: NW, CaR, SNH, c CCo, SCoRO, SW, GB.

California counties: San Bernardino, Colusa, Los Angeles, Mono, Shasta, Tulare, Nevada, Riverside, El Dorado, Plumas, San Luis Obispo, Inyo, Sierra, Glenn, Fresno, Placer, San Benito, Tehama, Santa Barbara, Alpine, San Diego, Amador, Humboldt, Lassen, Trinity, Madera, Sonoma, Tuolumne, Del Norte, Siskiyou, Mariposa, Lake

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