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Scarlet Indian Paintbrush

Castilleja coccinea

The scarlet is not the flower — it is the bracts, cut into three lobes and dipped in vermilion, with the true flowers small and green between them. Like all paintbrushes it is a hemiparasite: sow it directly among established grasses or asters, because it needs to tap a host root to persist. A biennial that reseeds where it is happy.

Family

Orobanchaceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

annual

Height

0.75–1.5 ft

Spacing

1–1.5 ft apart

Light

sun

Soil moisture

moist

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

May, June, July

Bloom colors

red, pink

Wildlife value

hummingbirds, songbirds

Landscape uses

naturalizing

Native states

AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, WI, WV