''Castilleja miniata'' is a species of Indian paintbrush known by the common name giant red Indian paintbrush. It is native to western North America from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, where it grows usually in moist places in a wide variety of habitat types.

Description

This wildflower is a perennial herb growing up to about 80 centimeters tall, slender and green to dark purple in herbage color. The lance-shaped leaves are 3 to 6 centimeters long, pointed, and coated in thin hairs. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

is made up of bright red to pale orange or orange-tipped

bracts In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

. Between the bracts emerge the yellow-green, red-edged tubular flowers. Flowers bloom May to September. Because most species of the genus are parasitic on other plants, sophisticated networks are formed between their roots and those of other species. They therefore cannot be transplanted in most cases. Its native habitats include wet mountain meadows and stream banks below .

Subspecies

There are three subspecies of this plant: *''C. m.'' ssp. ''dixonii'' - limited to the west coast from Alaska to

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

*''C. m.'' ssp. ''elata'' (Siskiyou Indian paintbrush) - rare subspecies limited to the

Klamath Mountains The Klamath Mountains are a rugged and lightly populated mountain range in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the western United States. As a mountain system within both the greater Pacific Coast Ranges and the California Coast R ...

in Northern California and Southern Oregon *''C. m.'' ssp. ''miniata'' - the common, widespread subspecies

Subspecies Gallery

File:Scarlet Paintbrush found under driftwood on Break Island.jpg, ''Castilleja miniata'' subsp. ''dixonii'' in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

References

External links

Jepson Manual TreatmentPhoto gallery
miniata Flora of the Western United States Flora of California Flora of New Mexico Flora of Canada Plants described in 1838 Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Orobanchaceae-stub