Purple Owl's-clover
Castilleja exserta
Purple owl’s-clover, the pink-purple wash across California grassland in spring, each flower tipped white and yellow like a small face. An annual hemiparasite — broadcast the seed into existing bunchgrass in autumn rather than transplanting it.
- Family
- Orobanchaceae
- Type
- wildflower
- Lifespan
- annual
- Height
- 0.3–1.3 ft
- Spacing
- 0.3–0.8 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- neutral
- Bloom
- March, April, May
- Bloom colors
- white, pink, yellow, green, purple
- Wildlife value
- butterflies, pollinators
- Landscape uses
- naturalizing
- Native states
- AZ, CA, ID, MA, NM, WA
Related native plants
More Castilleja species
- Texas Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja indivisa)
- Scarlet Paintbrush (Castilleja miniata)
- Wholeleaf Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja integra)
- Scarlet Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea)
- Wyoming Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja linariifolia)
- Harsh Paintbrush (Castilleja hispida)