Castilleja pilosa

Parrothead indian paintbrush

Family: Orobanchaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Parrothead indian paintbrush is a California native perennial found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Great Basin, and California Range Highlands in dry sagebrush scrub and alpine barrens at elevations of 1,200 to 3,400 meters. Flowering from June to August, this plant produces pale yellow-green flowers with white-margined pale green or purple bracts, creating delicate 3 to 20 centimeter inflorescences. Growing with decumbent stems 8 to 35 centimeters tall and spreading stiff hairs, it has a distinctive growth habit that allows it to thrive in harsh alpine environments. Its leaves are lance-linear, 10 to 50 millimeters long, with zero to three subtle lobes, giving the plant a minimalist, structured appearance. The fruit is 8 to 12 millimeters long, with seeds featuring a uniquely netted coat that clings tightly to its ladder-like walls.

Habitat: Dry sagebrush scrub to alpine barrens

Bloom period: Jun-Aug

Elevation: 1200-3400 m

Bioregions: CaRH, SNH, GB

California counties: Lassen, Tuolumne, Mono, Nevada, Placer, San Diego, Shasta, Sierra, Inyo, Plumas, Tulare, Modoc, Alpine, Siskiyou, Butte, El Dorado, San Francisco, Trinity, Fresno, Alameda, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Mariposa, Madera

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