Paintbrush (Castilleja), a widespread genus
An eye-catching genus in our region is Castilleja, easily identified by their fiery red, magenta, or yellow bracts.
In the Pacific Northwest, we have about 30 species of Castilleja, with habitats ranging from coastal, like the common harsh paintbrush (C. hispida, pictured above, left and middle), to the shrub-steppe on the eastern side of the Cascades where we find species like Wyoming paintbrush (C. linarifolia) and desert paintbrush (C. chromosa). They’ve been used by indigenous people including the Quileute, Okanogan, and Colville tribes in applications ranging from use as a menstrual aid to wound care. A versatile plant!
In this post I am featuring two species I’ve come across: harsh paintbrush (C. hispida), a very common low-land find, and cliff paintbrush (C. rupicola, pictured above, right), a species found at subalpine and alpine elevations in meadows or talus slopes. It seems that no matter where you find yourself in our region, whether it’s the Puget lowlands or the high desert, you’re likely to find a Castilleja–and they’re hard to miss!
References
Native American Ethnobotany Database, Castilleja search, 2023.
Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, Castilleja hispida, 2023.
Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, Castilleja linarifolia, 2023.
Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, Castilleja chromosa, 2023.
