''Castilleja'', commonly known as paintbrush, Indian paintbrush, or prairie-fire, is a genus of about 200 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants native to the west of the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

from Alaska south to the Andes, northern Asia, and one species as far west as the Kola Peninsula in northwestern Russia. These plants are classified in the broomrape family Orobanchaceae (following major rearrangements of the order Lamiales starting around 2001; sources which do not follow these reclassifications may place them in the Scrophulariaceae). They are

hemiparasitic A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All parasitic plants develop a specialized organ called the ...

on the roots of grasses and forbs. The generic name honors Spanish botanist

Domingo Castillejo Domingo Castillejo or Castillejos (died 1786) was a Spanish botanist, surgeon, and professor. From 1770 to 1786, he served as a professor of materia medica and botany at the Royal Naval College of Surgery in Cádiz, during which time his studie ...

Ecology

''Castilleja'' species are eaten by the

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

of some

lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

n species, including ''

Schinia cupes ''Schinia cupes'' is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from Texas, west to New Mexico and north to Kansas and Colorado. The wingspan is about 30 mm. Adults are on wing from March to June. There is a second smaller generation flyin ...

'' (which has been recorded on ''C. exserta'') and ''

Schinia pulchripennis ''Schinia pulchripennis'', or the common flower moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae that is distributed throughout North America, including California and Nevada. Reproduction and development of the moth mainly occurs on '' Orthocarpus p ...

'' (which feeds exclusively on ''C. exserta''), and checkerspot butterflies, such as ''

Euphydryas ''Euphydryas'' is a genus of Nymphalidae butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly ...

'' species. Pollinators aid these plants in reproduction, with insects visiting the flowers, as well as hummingbirds for some species. ''Castilleja'' species can play an important role in plant community dynamics and

multitrophic interaction A food web is the natural interconnection of food chains and a graphical representation of what-eats-what in an ecological community. Another name for food web is consumer-resource system. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one ...

s. For example, ''Castilleja'' hemiparasitic reliance on other plant species may affect competition and dominance among other plant species in its community. Additionally, the foliage of some ''Castilleja species'' naturally contains defensive compounds that are sequestered in the tissues of

specialist Specialist may refer to: Occupations * Specialist (rank), a military rank ** Specialist (Singapore) * Specialist (arena football) * Specialist degree, in academia * Specialty (medicine) * Designated market maker, in the American stock market * ...

insect species that have developed a tolerance for these compounds and are able to consume the foliage. These sequestered compounds then confer chemical protection against predators to larvae.

Hybridization

Seeds of putative Castilleja levisecta × C

Some species in the ''Castilleja'' genus are able to hybridize, especially when

ploidy Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell (biology), cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for Autosome, autosomal and Pseudoautosomal region, pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of mat ...

levels match, and hybrids may produce viable seed. This hybridization potential has been identified as a threat to the genetic integrity of certain endangered ''Castilleja'' species.

Uses

The flowers of Indian paintbrush are edible, and were consumed in moderation by various Native American tribes as a condiment with other fresh greens. These plants have a tendency to absorb and concentrate selenium in their tissues from the soils in which they grow, and can be potentially very toxic if the roots or green parts of the plant are consumed. Highly alkaline soils increase the selenium levels in the plants. Indian paintbrush has similar health benefits to consuming

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

, though only if the flowers are eaten in small amounts and in moderation.

Symbolism

Castilleja linariifolia ''Castilleja linariifolia'' is a perennial plant, native to the United States and is the state flower of Wyoming. It has a number of common names including Wyoming Indian paintbrush, narrow-leaved Indian paintbrush, desert paintbrush, Wyoming des ...

'' is the state flower of Wyoming.Wyoming Statute 8-3-104
(Title 8)

Selected species

References

External links

Native Plant Information Network
Listing of species in the Castilleja genus.
Jepson Manual
- taxonomic description of the genus.
Extensive ''Castilleja'' species gallery by Mark Egger
{{Taxonbar, from=Q311122 Parasitic plants Orobanchaceae genera